Music Notes and Amber Eyes
by coolcat0789
Summary: A You story between the reader and our favorite werewolf. You are a mischievous, musically motivated Gryffindor girl who develops a crush on the quietest and smartest Marauder. But you don’t believe he feels the same.You’re on a quest to win Remus's heart
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Music Notes and Amber Eyes**

The evening is growing late. The sky is an inky black with many stars dotting it, twinkling overhead, and a crescent moon shining down on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The moonlight reflected off of the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Not even the slightest breeze ruffled the lawn or shook any tree limbs. Everything outside was peaceful and beautiful.

You saw this serene scene through the window of Gryffindor Tower where you were sitting at a piano that you had conjured-yes conjured-just because you felt like playing something on the piano. You were skilled at playing all sorts of instruments, wizarding ones and muggle ones, and had been ever since you were a child. You came from a pureblooded family and had learned how to conjure things much earlier in life than your fellow classmates and you were most famous for conjuring instruments to play since you couldn't very well bring all the ones you could(and wanted) to play to Hogwarts. There were just too many of them! You had astounded your professors with this skillful use of magic and had even taught Lily how to improve her conjuring skills, even though she was the best Charms student anyone had seen in years. You turned your head back from the window to quickly glance at your hands and the piano keys then turned your attention to your three friends who were sitting just a few feet straight across from the end of the piano. Lily was reading a muggle novel you'd given her a while back, while Alice and Rae were talking and laughing about something. These three girls were your best friends.

Lily Evans. The clever, loud, fiery, and passionate one. She was a prefect this year and was definitely one of the top students in your year. She had shoulder-length dark red hair and beautiful emerald green eyes. You and Lily were close but you loved to tease her about your other friend and teammate, James Potter, who absolutely adored her.

Alice Moore. The sweet, sensitive, and bubbly one. She was always there when you needed her and was always kind to everyone. She had shoulder-length, curly, blonde with light chestnut brown eyes. She was slightly plump but it only made her more endearing. She was currently going steady with your friend and fellow sixth year, Frank Longbottom.

Rae Morgan. The calm and cool yet still able to have fun one. She was usually the one who had to exercise a little control over you, Alice, and occasionally, even Lily but sometimes she acted as crazy as the rest of you. She had black hair cut into a sophisticated bob, skin the color of cocoa, and dark chocolate brown eyes. She was currently going on with a seventh year and teammate of yours, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

And then there was you. You were the mischievous one. You were very good friends with James Potter and Sirius Black, having known them since you were young. You hung out with the Marauders a lot but there was one that you barely knew. One that was a brilliant student. One that, even though he was a Marauder, you hardly ever saw or communicated with. One that you had actually come to fancy this past year but you hid it well.

He was tall and thin but did have a developing, slightly muscular frame. He looked pale and sometimes sickly but he still looked good. He looked a little older than the rest of you and you knew he had some silver strands in his light brown hair. His eyes were probably his most wonderful feature. They were a beautiful golden amber with silver flecks near the pupils. His robes and clothes were always a bit shabby but you didn't care. He had a wonderful personality to make up for it.

Remus Lupin.

You slyly glanced over to where he was. He was sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire, reading. He was completely absorbed in the story, his eyebrows were knit in concentration, his gorgeous eyes seemed to dance because of the firelight's reflection as they skimmed over the words, and his strong and steady hands were holding the book with a careful tenderness. You sighed softly. Everything about him mesmerized you.

Your concentration on Remus, however, was broken when three boys came in through the portrait hole, laughing and talking loudly. You smiled as you recognized them and quickly switched to a light and cheery tune on the piano, which you knew would bring them over. These were the Marauders you knew.

"Hey Melody, striking up a lively tune on our account? I'm so honored!" James said, wiping away an imaginary tear as he stood beside you.

Melody. That's what all of them had been calling you since first year. You didn't know which one of them had come up with it but you liked it. It was actually a good nickname for you. Even Lily, Alice, and Rae called you Melody occasionally.

"I knew being so close to her would pay off one day!" Sirius added grinning as he sat down beside you on your piano stool.

"Yeah well keep dreaming you two." You chuckled.

"You two know that Melody plays whatever she wants, whenever she wants!" You turned to Peter, who was standing beside James.

"Correct Pete." you agreed nodding.

"Oh that hurts love, it really does." Sirius placed his hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt, but let's face it, there's no use in pretending to be hurt, if you're still smiling!

You just shook your head, a smile still on your face. You loved all of them. You really did.

"So where were you guys?" you asked as you watched your fingers moving skillfully over the keys.

"We decided to go relax in Hogsmeade for a few hours after classes today." James replied.

"And you didn't take me! Jamie! Siri! I'm hurt!" You made a pouty face complete with big, sad eyes and a lowered head as you stopped playing.

James and Sirius exchanged a glance. Sirius put a finger under your chin and turn your face towards his and smiled softly.

"We'll take you with us next time, love. We promise. Right guys?"

"Yeah." Peter nodded.

"Of course" James added grinning.

You smirked. "Now that's more like it!"

You glanced over at Remus again.

"On a more serious note guys, how come Remus didn't go with you?" You fought hard to keep yourself from blushing at the sound of Remus's name, even though you were the one who'd said it.

"He said he had homework to finish." Peter shrugged. "Go figure."

You looked over at Remus again. Only this time, instead of seeing his reading figure, your eyes locked with his beautiful golden amber eyes. A shiver went down your spine and your heart fluttered. A slight blush rose up in your cheeks. You shook off your daze and turned back to the guys.

"Why don't you go talk to him? I'm sure he wants some company."

They walked over to Remus and joined him by the fire. You got rid of the piano you'd conjured and joined your friends.

"C'mon Lils, take your nose out of the book and talk to us." You tugged the book out of her grasp.

"You were talking to Potter, Black and Peter, weren't you?"

"Lily! Are you going to, once again, ask why I talk to them and hang out with them? The answer, is very simple, my friend. It's because I like them. They're like brothers to me!"

Lily fell silent.

"So Ali, how's everything with Dear Frankie-poo?"

Alice raised an eyebrow at you but you just grinned. Then she smiled and laughed. "You're crazy you know that Melody?"

"That's what the doctors told me."

That caused the three of them and you to burst out laughing. "Things with 'Frankie-poo' are great, Mel."

"What about you Rae? I hope all those extra practices James has been giving us hasn't affected your time spent with good 'ole Kingsley."

Rae grinned. "A little, Mel, but we work around it. Besides we all know that James is obsessed with Quidditch," She lowered her voice and looked at Lily, "among other things."

"I heard that Rae! Potter is just so--so--" You winked at Alice and Rae.

"Popular?" you started.

"Good-looking?" Alice added.

"Flirtatious?" Rae piped up.

"Mad about you?" you finished.

"AHHHHH! You guys!" Lily jumped up, intending to chase the three of you.

"Break for it!" you yelled jumping up.

Alice ran up the girl's dormitory stairs, Rae ran up the boy's staircase, and you stood in the middle of the common room. Lily turned around and faced you. She thought she was going to catch you? No way!

You turned and ran over to the Marauders.

"James! Help me!" You ran behind James as he stood up. Lily froze. You knew that would stop her. Lily just glared at you and went up the girl's dormitory stairs.

Just then Rae re-emerged. "Is she gone?"

"Yep. I'm assuming she went up to our dorm 'cause she's a sore loser."

Rae laughed and went up to the dormitory too.

You threw your arms around James's neck. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you, Jamsie? Lots and Lots! Thank you for rescuing me from Lily!"

"My pleasure Melody. As you know well, if it has to do with Evans, I'm all for it."

You rolled your eyes while shaking your head.

"Anyways, that's what a brother does for his sister right? Protects her?" You looked at him astonished.

"You heard our conversation?"

"But of course."

"While it's true that brothers protect their sisters," Sirius interrupted, "they also get to torment them."

Before you could stop him, Sirius had you pinned down on the couch and was tickling you unmercifully.

You were laughing so hard you could barely breathe. You tried to get up but you just couldn't do it. All your energy was going into laughter. Finally you managed to shove Sirius off of you and stand up, panting.

"You...will...pay...Siri." you said trying to catch your breath.

Sirius smirked at you from the floor. He rolled over trying to get up and bumped into you, causing you to fall backwards...

...right onto Remus's lap.

You had closed your eyes during the fall, fearing the worst, and now opening them, realized your situation and blushed heavily.

You turned your head to face Remus, face still extremely red, and realized that your face was mere inches from his. His face was slightly red too, making him look even more adorable and beautiful. You could feel his breath on your face and looking into his eyes again, made another shiver go down your spine.

"Remus...I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to fall on you." Then you remembered. Sirius.

You got off of Remus quickly.

"You are sooooo going to pay for that one, 'Bro'."

Sirius just grinned at you. James turned to Sirius and said something. You zoned out and began to ponder the irony of the situation. People had asked you before if you and Sirius were related because you did actually look a lot alike. You both had dark, longish hair, his was black and a little past his shoulders, yours was a deep dark brown, so dark it was almost black and it reached your waist in loose curls, you both had beautiful, light colored eyes, his were a sparkling gray-almost silver in the right light, yours were a clear, light crystal blue. You both were tall and thin but had developed muscular tone from playing Quidditch, you both had similar personalities, and were fairly attractive.

Sirius, however, flaunted that attractiveness a lot more than you did.

"So do we have a plan for tomorrow?" You spoke up, coming out of your thoughts.

"Not yet, we'll talk about it in the morning. All this fun has tired me out." James came over and hugged you.

"Night Mel."

"Night Melody." Peter called smiling and waving.

Sirius hugged you and kissed the top of your head. "G'night Mel."

"Oh great now I have James Potter and Sirius Black germs!" you called softly, teasing, at their retreating backs.

"Very funny" you heard them call.

"I thought so" you called back.

You turned and found Remus standing next to you. He has his book tucked under his arm.

"Goodnight Remus." you say, starting to turn to go up to your dorm, but Remus's hand on your arm stops you.

"You might want to give this to Lily. She dropped it during her rampage." He held out the book she'd been reading.

"Thanks Remus. I'll give it to her straight away."

"And..."

"And?" you raise your eyebrows slightly at him.

Before you could even register what he was doing, he quickly pulled you into a one-armed hug and disappeared up the boy's staircase with a hurried, "Goodnight Melody"

You smiled, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading all over you. Remus hugged you!

You walked upstairs to your dorm, placed Lily's book on her bedside table, and went to sleep that night, totally happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: 'Wooing' and the Most Elaborate Prank Ever**

You woke up the next morning still happy with what had happened the night before. You decided to put on some comfortable but cute clothes. You were wearing a baby blue halter top with a brown and white skirt that came down just a little past your knees and flowed out a little from your waist. You added knee high, vanilla-colored, pointed toe boots with thin heels and an ankle-length, matching vanilla-colored, sweater that had ruffles around the shoulders and on the outline. The sleeves were a little past your elbows and had a vanilla ribbon on each side which held it together in the front. You tied them together into a loose bow and left your cascading curls down to frame your face. (A/N: The thin brown overskirt was a bit shorter than the white underskirts hence the brown and white part.) You hurried down the stairs and up the boys dormitories' staircase to your friends dorm. When you got there, you heard some _very _interesting things so you slipped in unnoticed and saw an _extremely _funny scene.

**IN THE BOYS DORM**- James woke up and looked around. All of his friends were still sleeping. Sirius was sprawled out on his bed with his mouth open, Remus was sleeping peacefully, Peter was snoring, and James couldn't see Frank because his hangings were closed. He decided to go ahead and get changed. While he was changing, Remus woke up and obviously did not like what he saw so he said jokingly, "I'm blind!"

"Oh shut up, you know you like what you see." James said pulling on his shirt over his broad chest.

"As I've told you many times before James, I know you have feelings for me but I'm not that way." Remus replied with his hilarious sense of humor.

"I know but how can I resist the sexiest man on earth?" James asked with a grin. He ran over to Remus's four poster and jumped in it with Remus.

"Make love to me Remy!" James was trying to hold back his laughter. Remus tried to push James off of him.

"No thanks." he replied trying to hold back his laughter too.

Sirius woke up and asked, "What are you two doing? Cheating on me?" He grinned and joined in the wrestling.

You couldn't stop yourself from laughing anymore. "What's going on here?" you asked in between laughs. "A threesome?"

James fell on the floor but straightened up quickly. Remus jumped out of bed and Sirius walked up beside him. You crossed your arms, leaned back against the wall, and tilted your head slightly to the left, smirking.

"I always kinda suspected there was something more between you guys than you were sharing." You glanced at each of them and your face turned pinkish-red. James was wearing a white t-shirt that was stretched so you could tell it was straining against his muscular arms and torso and his black boxers with Golden Snitches, Sirius was only wearing his white boxers with black paw prints on them so you could see every quidditch toned muscle in his arms and torso, and then you saw Remus. Remus was the cause of your blushing. He was wearing dark blue boxers and you could see his chest too. You face went a slightly darker shade of pinkish-red. Remus was much more built than you originally thought. But you also saw something else on his chest and abs, besides rippling muscles. Scars, and lots of them. You wanted to ask about them but you didn't. You slowly regained your humorous disposition that you had started out with.

"I figured you guys would be a little more discreet seeing as two of your dormmates are in here and I seriously doubt they'll want to witness this and I would let this go but if our fellow Gryffindors start hearing things in the middle of the night, at least I'll know who to blame."

"Okay Melody, we understand what we were doing was a little strange but come on, it wasn't that funny." Remus said.

"Yes it was!" you said laughing.

"If you could have seen yourselves, you'd understand." you finished.

"What are you doing in here anyways?" Sirius asked.

"I came to see if you had anything planned for today because I don't." you said finally calming down and taking a breath.

The three of them looked at each other and shrugged. You smiled but rolled your eyes.

"I'll wait for you down in the common room."

A grin spread over your face as you descended the staircase. You had just seen what most girls at Hogwarts would kill to see...

_Lily, Alice, and Rae are never going to believe this! _

All four girls were laughing by the time the guys came down from their dorm.

"Melody, are you telling them about our intimate moment up there?!? I'm crushed!" Sirius pretended to wipe away a tear while James was grinning, Remus was rolling his eyes, and Peter looked unsure of what to do.

You grinned and winked at your friends but quickly replaced it with a sympathetic look. "Aww Siri, you've gotta admit it was pretty funny, I had to tell my girls here. Besides what are you gonna do about it? Give me a flash of that muscular chest again? No offense babe, but I think I'd be cracking up again and most of the other girls in Gryffindor would be swooning and chasing you down the corridors."

Sirius's mouth fell open while the other Marauders, Frank, who had just come down and knew the story, and your girls laughed again. You smirked.

"I'm just sorry I didn't get any pictures. Would've definitely made my folks and Jamsie's laugh." This time James's mouth fell open.

"You two should really close your mouths, looking like a fish just doesn't suit either of you."

"Well," Frank interrupted, "If comedy hour is over, I'd like to take my girl down to breakfast."

You grinned. "I shall halt my mockery so you can take our fair Alice to breakfast, but remember, I'm only doing it for you Frankie-poo."

"I'm eternally grateful Mel-Mel." he replied as he took Alice's hand and gently pulled her out of the portrait hole.

Frank's departure with Alice seemed to have snapped James out of his stupor. He smiled charmingly and turned towards Lily, who was quickly getting a scowl of her face.

"Say Evans, care to accompany me to breakfast?"

"Not on your life Potter, that would only happen in your dreams."

"How did you know?"

Lily stood up and stormed out. You turned to James and shook your head.

"James, you're never gonna get her to like you if you keep acting like that and this time, I'm not letting you come crying to me."

"I never cried!" James's face was a slight shade of pink. "Besides, I won't go crying to you, I'll just go crying to Sirius."

"I'm always here for you mate!" Sirius said pounding a hand on his chest just as you said, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you just denied crying?"

"Er...anyways, what do you suggest I do to win Evans, Melody?" James asked you as you were conjuring up your drum set.

"I suggest that you not be James Potter." You replied laughing as you did the funny drum thing-you know the ba-doo-CHI thing-(the hitting of the drums then the symbol at a funny moment)

"Rem, a little help here please." James made his expect puppy dog face.

"I think what Melody is trying to say," Remus started, grinning at you, (You felt your cheeks flush) "is that you need to start acting differently than you normally do. You need to change your attitude to win Lily."

"What's wrong with my attitude? The ladies love my bad-boy, laid-back attitude." James argued.

"Except the one you want." you and Remus both replied at the same time. Your blue eyes locked with his amber ones for what seemed like an eternity but it was only a second and you turned your head away slightly trying to look casual. You eyes flicked back to his face as he continued talking to James and you noticed that a faint pink tinge had covered Remus's cheeks. It made you smile. Now if only you could tell him how you felt...

Sirius's bark-like laugh snapped you out of your reverie. Obviously Remus had something funny but insulting to James and Sirius, being Sirius, laughed at James's expense. You could just hear it now, 'You need to deflate that big head of yours as Lily would say,' If only you'd been paying attention...

A low growl from your stomach reminded you that all of you were late for breakfast.

"As much as I love teasing James, why don't we pause it until after breakfast?"

"Right you are Melody." Sirius linked his arm with yours and led you out of the portrait hole. Both of you were followed by Rae, James, Remus, and Peter.

When you arrived in the Great Hall, most people turned to watch your group walk to the Gryffindor table. Most of the eyes, you knew, were on James, Sirius, and yourself. You knew it was because the three of you were attractive and single, even though most girls knew they had no chance with James because he was smitten with Lily, Sirius rarely stayed with any girl for long because he was trying to find the right girl, and you were picky when it came to guys and of course, you were smitten with Remus but you weren't obvious like James. Also, Sirius and James's clothes were emphasizing their good looks. Sirius was wearing a gray t-shirt which brought out his eyes and jeans and James was wearing a white button down shirt that was untucked and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows with brown corduroys. Rae was getting some attention as well, but she had been with Kingsley so long that most guys knew to stay away from her. You could see a few girls from the other houses watching Remus walking though, and your blood started to boil, however, Remus wasn't looking back at any of them.

'_Yay! Remus isn't even acknowledging them! Maybe there's still time...' _You were determined now. Remus will be yours.

When you reached the table, you sat down next to Lily and to your surprise, Remus sat on your other side. You fought hard against the blush that was threatening to spread over your cheeks.

James, Sirius, and Peter sat down in front of you. You slowly began fixing your plate, all the time thinking about how you were going to...well 'woo' Remus, even though woo sounded like a stupid word to use because it is usually associated with a guy romancing a girl, not the other way around. You scoffed at your thinking because to yourself, you sounded completely mental.

You were snapped out of your musings by James's voice.

"What?"

"We were discussing our plans for today." James was wearing his infamous mischievous grin.

"A prank eh? Who came up with it?"

"Actually Remus came up with most of it."

You looked at Remus quizzically then back at James.

"I was surprised myself. Usually Sirius and I are the masterminds behind all the pranks."

You pretended to look offended. "And what am I?" "Chopped liver?"

James looked amused. "No, you're one of the key elements in our pranks Mel. You're our beautiful and charming accomplice."

You raised an eyebrow at James. "I dunno if I like that."

"Don't mind James, Melody. You're much more than that." A faint blush did occupy your cheeks this time. The sound of your nickname spilling from Remus's lips made your heart beat faster and a shiver ran down your spine. It wasn't the first time Remus had said your nickname but you could've sworn Remus said it with a more sensual tone. Maybe you were being stupid, you really didn't know.

After you finished breakfast, you left for the common room alone. Lily had headed to the library, Alice and Frank were spending time together, so were Kingsley and Rae, and the guys were still trying to devour the whole table. You had only passed the first floor when someone grabbed you and pulled you into a dark classroom. You were about to pull out your wand and attack whoever it was, when suddenly the room lit up and you could finally tell who it was. It was Severus.

"You startled me Severus." Your heart was beating a little faster than normal from the shock.

"Deepest apologies. I only pulled you in here so I could talk to you about something." You were extremely curious about this. You and Severus had formed a strange sort of friendship. It was a little strained because he did insult your best friends, including the girls and the marauders were always playing pranks on him, some of which you had helped them pull off. You did feel very bad for him whenever that happened but somehow he always managed to forgive you and you him. You really couldn't understand it but you accepted it.

You sat down on a desk. "What's up?"

"It concerns your friends" He crossed his arms. He always looked so serious. It was a little unnerving sometimes.

"Which ones?" He gave you a look.

"The guys." You sighed. "What have they done to you now?"

"This isn't about a prank, although I'm sure they've got one planned soon." You tried to remain casual as he continued. "This is about something I think I've discovered about them, or at least, one of them and I'm pretty sure I know which one, but we'll save that for when I'm completely sure. You might want to go check the 800 numbered section of the library, just in case"

Okay, now you were really curious. "Okay I will."

"Well, that's all I wanted to tell you, for now. Good day Melody."

"Yours too Severus." you called as he left the room quickly. You jumped off the desk and quickly set off for the library.

You snuck quickly past Lily as you headed to your destination. You knew if she saw you there would be lots of questions and you really wanted to find out what it was that Severus might have discovered about one of the Marauders. It was a section devoted to werewolves. As you began to scan the numerous volumes, the clearer it became to you. Severus thought one of the guys was a werewolf.

'But that's absurd,' you thought, 'Wouldn't they have told me if they were?' The more you thought about it, the more and more curious you became about if one of them was a werewolf, and if so, which one? You just sat on the floor in between the shelves and thought about for a while. When you looked at your watch and realized how long you'd been in there, you hurried off to the common room to talk to the guys about this prank they'd been planning.

The prank was going to happen that night at dinner. The Quidditch practice that you and James had scheduled(you were the co-captain) had made you really hungry and you wanted to eat quickly because you were anxious for the prank. You and the whole gang sat down at the Gryffindor table, very similar to the way you had been this morning. Remus was once again next to you and you were absolutely giddy about it, you just couldn't stop smiling. You glanced over at the Slytherin table then back at the guys. James and Sirius grinned evilly. "Here it comes." they both chanted.

A bunch of outraged shrieks announced it's arrival. You all turned and looked at the Slytherin table. A grin split across your face. All of the Slytherins(except Severus because you warned him to stay away from dinner) had turned completely hot pink except their hair which had turned a bright electric blue but would continue to turn different colors every few minutes. Their shoes were gone and would remain gone for a few hours. Their forks levitated above their heads and continuously dive-bombed them, screaming "Banzai!" and the food on the table grew arms and legs(if they didn't have them) and danced in a chorus line. The spoons and knives had grown arms and legs and were waltzing around on the tableand the table itself had levitated off of the ground about five feetand dropped back down with a BANG! A few seconds after it dropped, all of the Slytherins got up and did a conga linearound the Great Hall until they were back beside their table. They all sat down slowly, thinking the prank was over, but it wasn't.

For the finale, water fell down from the ceiling and drenched the whole Slytherin table then feathers followed, making the Slytherins look like overgrown chickens or birds. Finally, everything went quiet again. It was finally over...but that's what they thought. Nothing else was gonna happen in the Great Hall but there was actually more to this prank. You and the Marauders had bewitched their books, parchment, quills, and ink so that they would avoid them until morning so any homework they had to do couldn't be done tonight and the guys had bewitched the torches and fireplace in their common room to constantly flicker out and then flame back up at different time intervals. It had definitely been a lot of work and you weren't even done yet.

You looked around the Great Hall. The teachers were stunned and still trying the process all that had happened, the rest of Gryffindor even Lily, the Ravenclaws, and the Hufflepuffs were like you and the guys, they were howling with laughter. The Slytherins looked absolutely murderous but they couldn't do anything about it. You could see some of them trying to fix themselves up with spells but they couldn't. All of you had made sure of thatYou and the guys stood up and snuck out of the Great Hall but before you had gotten ten feet away from the doors, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall appeared. McGonagall looked disappointed and a little angry but Dumbledore looked amused.

All of you stood in a line-of-sorts, James on Sirius's left, then Sirius, then you in the middle, Remus, and finally Peter. All of you were smiling.

"Boys and Lady, (you grinned) I love colors and large birds as much as the next man but they simply do not add to the decor. Just this evening, you have turned the entire Slytherin Table multicolored, made them barefoot, turned their dinner and silverware into a show, levitated their table, made them dance, drenched them, and covered them with feathers."

James, Sirius, you, Remus and Peter hung your heads slightly, but only to conceal the broad smiles inching across your faces. It was one thing to witness it, but when the headmaster re-evaluated the events in a manor that told you and the guys that you all were in big trouble but he enjoyed the show all the same, it was all you could to do contain your laughter.

"I would have thought," He smiled once more, "That you would at least have the common sense to _try_ and hide your pranks in front of a teacher, no less the headmaster of the school in which you so graciously dubbed the auditorium for such a show. But performing a stunt like that— he grinned, While I was sitting at the staff table enjoying my dinner…You obviously didn't think that one through all the way."

James snorted with laughter. He couldn't contain himself any longer. This, then, set off Sirius which, with his loud bark-like laugh, set you off, which set Remus off and then Peter.

"I do enjoy a good show every once in awhile, boys and lady." His eyes twinkled, "and I haven't seen a show like that in _years_, but I do have to put my foot down and let you know when you've gone too far. You will report to Professor McGonagall's room every evening for one week right after dinner to serve her detentions."

This is when you and James stepped forward. You both were very good persuasive speakers and now it was time to present your eloquence with words.

"Headmaster sir, as much as we would love do to a week's worth of detentions for this prank, we would like to request that the sentence be shortened by a couple of days. You see, our first Quidditch match of the year is coming up Friday against the very people this prank was upon and we do need at least a day or two before the match to prepare. My co-captain and I had been putting the team through strenuous training and we don't need any mishaps in our strategy just because of this prank." James began.

"James is right, Professors. We have definitely been keeping the team training hard in order to be prepared for the upcoming match and we would be extremely upset if our strategy was messed up because of our need to shake the school up a bit and to keep it amused and entertained. Besides, both of you were also Gryffindors and I'm sure you see the need for us to win the Quidditch Cup again. I'm sure, Professor McGonagall, that you have a bet going with Professor Slughorn again about the outcome of the match and we want to be able to make sure you win and to do you proud, of course."

Professor McGonagall turned slightly red at the mention of the bet. You and James glanced at each other. You knew it was time to wrap it up.

"So, in conclusion, we are only asking that you shorten the sentence against us. We are begging, please." At this you and James got down on your knees, raised up your hands in a praying motion, smiled showing off your teeth slightly and both of you made your eyes bigger so it would be a guarantee. It made both of you look like children with irresistible smiles and eyes. The eyes were your secret weapon and James's too. No one could resist your big blue eyes and his glittering hazel eyes.

"Alright," Professor McGongall spoke up, "We'll shorten it to four days starting tomorrow night. Sound fair?"

"Absolutely." you and James chorused, standing up.

"Do you agree, Albus?"

"Whatever you think is best, Minerva."

"Thank you Professors. Goodnight."

As soon as the two Professors walked off, you and James hugged each other, congratulating one another. Sirius, Remus, and Peter cheered and did a dance around you and James while you were hugging then they came in and you made it a group hug. (These are the kinda moments you cherish, huh? Lolz! ) You all stood around each other grinning, happy that you had gotten away with it.

"Four days, huh? Starting tomorrow, that's Sunday evening, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. James that means we'll have to schedule the practice before detention if we want to practice at least two days before the match, unless you wanna wait until Thursday afternoon, the day right before the match, to cram it all in, but we'd be out there for a loooong time and I don't think the team would have the strength to go on after so many hours."

"We'll have to discuss it Mel. Just be happy we got away with it. If we had detention the night of the match, we'd be missing our own party!" James exclaimed.

"I for one, admit going to detention is hilarious but I would not miss a Quidditch party for it!" Sirius said grinning.

"What about our homework, you guys? With classes, Quidditch practice, and detention, how are you going to fit it in?" Remus spoke up.

"We'll find a way, Rem." Sirius assured him.

"Are we going to finish doing the rest of our prank tonight? I'm up for it, but we might be adding more nights to our detention time and end up right back where we started and me and Melody's eloquence would've been all for nothing?!"

"I dunno, why don't we save the rest as our encore after we win the match Friday? Like after the party, we'll go and finish the job." You suggested.

James and Sirius pouted. "But we wanted to do it tonight! We wouldn't be finishing what we started!"

"Guys! I think Melody has got a point! I mean, she and James just talked their way out of week long detentions, if we finish, they might just get them back! Let's just enjoy our success in the prank and victory detention wise." Peter spoke up finally.

"You're right Wormtail. Let's head back to the common room." James agreed.

As you all were heading up to the common room, you spoke again, "Do you guys realize that that was our most elaborate prank ever?"

"And just think sis, Part two will happen Friday night! It will just be a bonus to us winning the match!" Sirius grinned.

Just then you conjured up your soprano saxophone.

"What are you doing Mel?" Peter asked you.

"I just feel so good right now, I have to play something!" you laughed. You started to play some fun jazz music on your sax and the guys laughed as it echoed throughout the corridors.

When you reached the common room, Lily, Alice, Rae, Frank, and Kingsley all wanted to know how you all had pulled off the prank. All of you gathered around the fireplace and you, along with the guys, recounted the whole thing including your eloquence with James and shortening your detention sentence. By the time you were finished, all of you were really tired so you all decided to turn in. Kingsley and Frank gave Rae and Alice kisses before they headed upstairs, James said goodnight civilly to Lily, shocking her, and you hugged all the boys goodnight. You were about to go upstairs but a hand touched your arm and you turned around. It was Remus. Your heart started to beat faster.

"I just wanted to say thanks for getting our detention sentence shortened. You and James definitely had your work cut out for you." he grinned.

You smiled. "No problem Remus. It was a brilliant prank, I commend you for thinking of it, well most of it, anyways."

You were about to turn to go upstairs when Remus leaned in and kissed you on the cheek. "Goodnight Melody."

"Night Remus." As he climbed up to his dormitory, you just stood there with your hand on your cheek, grinning like crazy.

'_Remus kissed me on the cheek! Ahhhh! Wow! It was wonderful, he's wonderful...' _You had fluffy thoughts about him as you climbed up the staircase and into your dorm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Walk to Remember and A Slumber Party**

It was raining and you were out on the grounds. Well you had been on the grounds. Remus had come up to you and you had gone on a walk around the back of the castle. Both of you had walked down the crooked staircase that led down to the boathouse. You and Remus were almost to the boathouse when the sky opened up and it started raining heavily. Remus started running to the boathouse trying not to get completely drenched but you didn't see the point so you just stood there. For absolutely no reason though, you started to laugh. As you walked down the staircase to join Remus, you laughed harder. Then Remus started to laugh. You looked at Remus and slowly stopped and so did he. You both stared into each other's eyes, not realizing that you were both moving closer to each other. Your bodies were only a few inches apart, you raised up your hands and placed them on his chest. You felt his hands slide around your waist and pull you against him. You were sure by then that you were blushing but you stared into his amber eyes longingly. You realized that his face was moving towards yours and you slowly started to close your eyes. You could feel his breath on your face and his lips brushed yours..._any second now_...

**BBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!**

You woke up with a start. _'It was a dream?!? Damnit! Damn Damn Double Damn!!!! Couldn't I have least gotten my dream kiss?!? It's not fair!'_ you thought angrily. You sat up and pulled back the curtains, determined to find out who had caused you not to get your dream kiss. It was the fifth and final girl in your dorm, Hestia Jones. Hestia was very sweet but very quiet. You barely knew her because she hardly ever talked. She preferred to be absorbed in her work. You watched as she stood up and got ready and felt your angry ebb away. She waved at you as she left and you felt a little bit bad for her because she was such a loner. You were gonna change that tonight. Since you couldn't go back to sleep, you decided to get up and get ready. You took a long shower, doing everything you thought completely necessary to look good. You stepped out, dried your hair with a quick spell and rubbed your vanilla scented lotion on. You chose to wear an extremely soft, slightly stretchy off-the-shoulder ocean blue top with hip-hugger, boot-leg jeans and mid-calf, black boots with thick heels. You put on some silver hoops, a single, small, square diamond on a skinny silver chain necklace, a silver ring on your right hand middle finger, and a little make-up, a little bit of smoky eye-shadow with blue eyeliner, clear mascara, and some clear lip-gloss. You grabbed your flute and walked outside onto the grounds.

You walked down to the lake first. It was a cloudy day but it wasn't dark. It was just overcast. A soft breeze was blowing, barely disturbing the water's still surface. You saw one of the Giant Squid's tentacles lazily come above the surface then slowly drift back in. You walked up to the gardens and sat down amongst the many flowers, starting to play your flute. You played a very soft tune. **(A/N: You were playing 'A Window To The Past'. It's on the POA soundtrack and in the movie itself. It's the soft flute music that was playing when Remus was talking to Harry about Lily and James on the bridge right after Harry faced the boggart.) **You stayed out there for a while just playing different songs on your flute. You didn't know how long you were out there for. You lost track of the time but after a while Remus came outside and spotted you. You, however, weren't paying attention and didn't see him coming. He snuck up behind you and startled you, causing you to jump slightly and fall backwards, even though you were still sitting down. You saw Remus right above you, looking down at you and laughing. He looked upside down to you because of your position. You raised your hand and pushed him so that he fell back and landed on his butt because he had been bending down, balancing on his toes. You sat up and turned around so that you were facing him and sitting with your legs folded underneath you.

"Remy, you know better than to sneak up on me." you pushed a lock of hair away from your face and picked up your flute.

"I couldn't resist. Besides you would've done it too, if had been me out here." he stuck his tongue out at you. How childish but funny.

You giggled and grinned. "Too true."

He smiled at you. "You play beautifully."

You blushed. "Thanks."

"You know, I was thinking earlier that although we have the same best friends, and we hang out together occasionally, we really don't know that much about each other so I was thinking we could take a walk and get to know each other better."

You smiled brightly. "I'd like that, Remus."

He stood up, dusting himself off and held out his hand to you. You reached up, taking his hand with your left hand, seeing as you were holding your flute in your right, and stood up. He released your hand. You assumed you were just going to walk beside him, but then he did something that surprised you: he held out his arm to you. You stared at him for a moment before smiling and taking his arm.

"So...where to begin? Er..what's your family like?" Remus started.

"I have a big family. My father is one of the top Aurors at the Ministry and my mother is a successful, wizarding musician. Both of them love quidditch and it was actually my mother who encouraged me to join the team here. I have three older sisters, all beautiful, all successful and two brothers, one who's the oldest and one who's only a year older than me, as you know, and I have an infant younger brother, who's just adorable. I swear James and Sirius are going to corrupt him one day. What about your family?"

Remus's smile faltered slightly. It concerned you. "I'm an only child. Sometimes I wish I had brothers and sisters but I'm really close to my parents."

"Well anytime you feel the need to have siblings, feel free to come visit. I guarantee you you'll get sick of them soon."

Remus grinned.

"So Rem, what do you want to do once you get out of Hogwarts?"

"I'm not really sure. I guess I've never really thought about it." He was lying through his teeth. "I guess I just hoped my time here would never end."

"I know how you feel. I'm really gonna miss Hogwarts.

"But I actually would like to teach kids here at Hogwarts. Do you think that sounds stupid?"

"Not for you, it doesn't. I think you'd be good at it. I'm just surprised you don't want to work for Honeydukes seeing as you have a gift with their chocolate." you grinned.

Remus snorted and looked at you. You started to laugh and Remus started soon after.

"So Melody, how did you get to be so interested in music?"

"Well, when I was younger I remembered marveling at the effect music had on people on their emotions. It could turn their emotions to how ever it sounded. It could make you happy, or sad, or excited, or anything really. I remembered vividly the concerts and operas I had been to as a small girl and decided that I would learn everything I could about music. So most of my childhood, besides playing with Sirius and James, I learn every instrument I could, muggle and magical, and excelled in them. I also learned how to sing and took lessons frequently. Music just sort of came to me naturally and I'm good at it."

Remus smiled. "I've heard you play music quite often but I don't believe I've ever really heard you sing."

"Oh noooo, I'm not singing right now Remus Lupin and nothing you say will make me change my mind."

"Please?" those big amber eyes were taunting you but you refused to let him win.

"No, not now, but I promise when I really do, you'll be the first to know."

"Aww, fine, party pooper."

You scoffed. "I'll have you know Lupin, that I am the life of every single party in this school."

"So how did you meet James and Sirius?" he asked, going back to the questions.

"We met at a party James's parents were throwing. A bunch of people from the Ministry were invited. My father happened to be one of them and he brought all of us with him. My brothers and sisters were entertained and of course, so were my parents, but since I was very young at the time I was extremely bored. I started wandering around and went outside into the courtyard and saw James chasing Sirius around, like they were playing tag. I asked if I could play with them and at first, they said no and were really rude to me, the whole 'girls have cooties stage', but when I got really mad that they wouldn't let me play, I accidentally did wandless magic because of my anger and they ended up hanging upside down, in the air, covered in mud. I got my parents to fix them but after that, they were so amazed at what I did that we became friends and the rest is history."

"So how did you meet the guys, Remus?"

"I met them on the train. I was really nervous and I was pretty much hiding in a compartment by myself until James and Sirius came and asked if they could sit with me. I let them and pretty soon, I was having a great time with them. Well, when we went out to get something from the sweet trolley, that was when we noticed Peter. He was getting bullied by some Slytherins so we went to help him. He joined us in our compartment and we all became good friends, and soon the Marauders."

All of a sudden, a broad smile came on Remus's face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"That day was also the day I met you and the rest of the girls, save Hestia."

You smiled too as you remembered. You, like Remus, had been in a compartment alone until Lily had come along, then Rae, then Alice. You all had been having a great time until you were pushed out your compartment by some older students. The four of you had searched until you had come upon the guys compartment. You were so excited to see James and Sirius again that you had rushed in hugging them. They had invited all of you to stay in there with them and that's how you all had become great friends. You knew that was also the day that James had become infatuated with Lily but he didn't really address it until a few years later.

You and Remus just continued talking as we walked around the back of the castle. You soon recognized the path that both of you were walking. It was the same one that was in your dream. Both of you soon reached the crooked staircase that led down to the boathouse.

"Do you want to turn around?" Remus asked you, snapping you out of the trance you'd been in.

You thought about it. You really liked Remus and if ever there was a time to try to do something about it, it was here and now. "No, let's walk down to the boathouse. We might see some flying seahorses."

You noticed and you and Remus started down the staircase that the cloudy sky had gotten a lot darker as if it was going to rain. _'My dream,' _you thought, _'could it be coming true?'_ You sure hoped so. About halfway down, a clap of thunder startled you making you jump and grab onto Remus. He smiled.

"It's only thunder, nothing to be scared of, my little Melody."

You smiled weakly and both of you kept walking. You were almost to the boathouse when the sky itself seemed to open up and pour out waterfalls. That's how fast and how hard the rain stated to fall. Remus let go of you and started to rush to the boathouse to try and keep from getting completely drenched and just like in your dream, you saw no point and started to laugh at the whole thing. The rain was not good for your flute but right now, you didn't care. Remus walked back towards you as you descended the final staircase slowly, still laughing. It was only when Remus was standing right in front of you that he started laughing too.

"Why-are-we-laughing?" he asked you between laughs.

"I have no idea!"

You looked at him and your laughing slowly ceased, as did Remus's. You could no longer just stand here, looking at him. He looked so sexy, his hair tousled and wet from the rain, the white-button up shirt he'd been wearing over his undershirt was soaked through showing off his muscular figure underneath and clinging to his skin. You moved closer to him. You didn't notice that he was also moving closer to you. Both of you kept moving closer and closer to each other, never breaking eye contact. He was right in front of you and impulsively, you placed your hand on his chest, almost blushing as you felt the muscles quivering under your hand. A shiver ran up your spine as you felt his hands sliding around your waist and pulling you against him. You eye contact was still locked and you noticed that his face was coming closer and closer. You tilted your chin up and slowly started closing your eyes. He was close now. You could feel his breath on your face and his lips brushed against yours. You slid your hand up that was on his chest and brought up your hand that was still holding your flute and wrapped them around his neck, urging him to do it. Finally your lips pressed against his. It was everything you had dreamed of and more.

It was like electricity was surging through your body and fireworks going off at the same time. You reached your free hand up and ran it through Remus's hair. He deepened the kiss and you began to kiss him back. It was everything you'd ever dreamed of. You put all the feelings you had for him, the love, the passion, into the kiss. Slowly the two of you broke apart and just looked into each other's eyes. He reached down, taking your hand and slowly pulled you into the dryness of the boat house. You pulled out your wand and dried out your flute first. You blew into it. It was still playable. Then you dried yourself and Remus off. You wanted him to say something, anything, just so you would know that you weren't dreaming.

Of course that had been hours ago. Remus had said absolutely nothing to you about it, even when you two had sat there in the boathouse, waiting for the rain to pass. You had felt a number of emotions since then because of this: Hurt, Rejection, Anger, Happiness, and mostly Confusion. You guessed hurt and rejection went hand in hand because you were hurt because he had said nothing and felt like you were being rejected. You'd felt angry because you'd pretty much put your very soul into that kiss and it was as though, Remus had felt nothing. When he had begun to kiss you back, you thought he was willing doing it but it appeared as though he had lead you on. You were happy though because you'd actually kissed him and he hadn't stopped you. He'd kissed you back! Mostly though you were confused. You'd kissed him and he didn't stop you...he'd kissed you back but then said absolutely nothing about it...It made no sense whatsoever!

Right now you were on your way to your first of the four detentions you'd been assigned by Professor McGonagall. You walked into her classroom to find all of the Marauders waiting for you. You were surprised that they had all gotten there before you but you thought nothing of it. You sat down in a desk, looking over at the guys. You smiled at Peter, grinned at James and Sirius, and completely ignored Remus.

"Alright you _five _pranksters, (you grinned at her emphasis on five) Follow me." All of you followed Professor McGonagall down into the Dungeons.

"Mr. Lupin and Ms. (Last name), you two will be scrubbing the Dungeon floor. You cannot place a spell on the sponges to make them clean themselves since they are protected against wand magic. I will leave the door unlocked since you two are the more trustworthy of this little group."

You and Remus nodded. Professor McGonagall led James, Sirius, and Peter away, probably planning to put them all in separate detentions. You closed the door and grabbed a sponge. The thought of scrubbing the floors was not too appealing to you but then you had a brilliant idea. You put the sponge down on the floor and concentrated.

"What are you doing?" Remus spoke up finally.

"I'm going to bewitch the sponge to clean without me actually doing it."

"But Professor McGonagall said that wand magic couldn't be placed on them."

"Yeah but she didn't say anything about wandless magic."

You waved your hand over the sponge. It seemed to glow for a about a second and it sat not doing anything.

"It didn't work."

"I'm not done." You replied, slightly cross.

You pulled out your wand and conjured up your famous piano from the other night. Putting your wand away, you sat down on the stool and popped all of your fingers, preparing to play. You began to play a piano forte and Remus looked shocked when the sponge began zipping across the floor, cleaning by itself.

"What did you do?"

"I bewitched the sponge to clean to music so as long as I'm playing, it will continue to clean by itself."

"I can't believe that you can do wandless magic."

"Only a little. Most of the time I can't, even when I'm trying."

"Bewitch my sponge too."

"No."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Pretty please with Chocolate Frogs on top?"

You looked at him. He had an adorable pout on his face and it made you give in.

"Oh alright." You waved your hand and enchanted his sponge too, still playing with your other hand. Remus, to your surprise, sat down next to you on your piano stool. He just watched you play for a while. The tension and silence, besides the sound of scrubbing sponges, was starting to get to you. You wanted an explanation for today. Finally, you spoke.

"Why didn't you say something today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after we...you know...you didn't say a word to me, not even when we went back up to the common room and were bombarded by the guys."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry Melody. Today was the most romantic moment of my life but I took advantage of you because of the situation. I shouldn't have done that." You were about to protest but he continued. "I felt so ashamed of what I'd done that when we were sitting in the boathouse, I couldn't speak. I couldn't even thank you for drying me off. So I want to apologize. I was being impulsive and foolish and I hope that there's no weirdness between us and that we're still friends."

You were absolutely speechless. You wanted to tell him that he wasn't being foolish and that you had wanted to kiss him for ages but you couldn't. You were hurt. You were hurt that he just wanted to act like the whole thing had never happened and you were hurt that he just wanted to be friends. You felt like you were gonna break down and cry right then and there but you didn't. Somehow you managed to stay composed but you didn't look at him.

"Of course, we're still friends Remus. Nothing you could do would change that." You noticed that your voice shook slightly.

He smiled and hugged you even though you were still playing, or struggling to play would be more correct. You breathed in his familiar chocolate scent and had to fight harder not to cry. You didn't know how much longer you could sit there, next to him without kissing him again or breaking down finally. He finally broke away from you and just sat there, watching your slightly shaking hands continue to play until the dungeon floor had been completely scrubbed.

You made the piano disappear and the sponges just laid there, still as it had before, just as Professor McGonagall came back.

"You two are free to go."

As you and Remus walked through the Dungeon, you shivered. You were wearing a baby tee with some sweatpants, which you still could not figure out why you wore it seeing as the castle was often cold and drafty. Remus also noticed.

"Are you cold?"

"I'll be fine Remus. Don't worry about me."

Remus didn't listen. He took his robe off and draped it around you then wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You smiled slightly as the two of you continued to walk. He was so stubborn, just like you. On the way up to the common room, the two of you ran into a familiar seventh year Ravenclaw girl. Anna Chapman. She was brilliant but one of the snottiest girls you'd ever met. You and Remus constantly saw her in the library. You especially didn't like her because you knew she had a thing for Remus.

"Hello Remus."

"Hello Anna." Her expression went from pleasant to downright ugly when she saw his arm around you.

"Who's this? Your girlfriend?"

You expected him to just calmly tell her no, to tell her that you two were just friends but he didn't. He just shook his head violently and took his arm off of you quickly. All the sadness you'd been feeling quickly turned into anger and rage. Your face contorted in your rage and your fist clenched up. You really wanted to punch Remus in the nose and rip out Anna's blonde locks now but you managed to remain calm, if only for a few moments.

"Well, I can see you two would rather chat and I don't want to be a third wheel." You quickly took off Remus's robe and shoved it into his arms, rather roughly. "I'll see you in the common room Remus. Night Anna." You walked off quickly and when you were sure you were far away from them, you took out your wand and cast a silencing charm on yourself. Then you screamed as loud as you could but of course, no one could hear it. When you reached the portrait hole, you took the silencing charm off and quickly walked into the common room. James, Sirius, and Peter were all sitting around the fire, talking quietly for once. You stormed over to them, still steamed.

"What's wrong Melody?"

"Why don't you ask that creep, Remus Lupin?" you seethed then you stomped over to and up the girl's dorm staircase. You knew they'd ask questions and you didn't feel like explaining it to them but there was no way you'd get out of explaining it to the girls.

You opened the door to your dorm to see that all of the girls were there, even Hestia. Lily quickly took note of your face and you could tell she was concerned.

"Melody, what's wrong?"

You sighed and sat down on the floor. The girls all sat down with you, in a circle around you. "Come join us Hestia." you gestured her over. "It's about time you joined the gang." Hestia's rosy cheeks flushed for moment before she sat down on your left.

You quickly explained all about the day. You included every little detail even your dream, though a heavy blush came on your face as you did so. When you finished, all of them looked shocked.

"I'm so sorry for waking you this morning. I had no idea. I had to go do some researching." Hestia said.

"It's no problem." you assured her.

"Well what are you gonna do?" Rae asked you.

"I dunno. I really like Remus but if he's gonna act like this, I don't see why I even agreed to be his friend again. I just don't know what to do."

"Maybe you should give it some time." Lily suggested wisely.

"Yeah, besides I think he likes you but there's some reason why he's fighting his feelings." Alice added.

You shrugged. You needed something to take your mind off Remus, even if it was only for a few hours.

"I have an idea. Why don't we have a slumber party? We haven't really had any girl time together in a while."

"Yeah!"

"Let's do it!"

"And we can give Hestia here a make-over." you added slyly. She looked downright shocked at the very idea.

You and the girls quickly changed into your pj's. You had more than one set of pj's. The one's you were wearing now were actually very simple. You were wearing some very short, black boxer bottoms with a soft, white, off-the-shoulder, long sleeved shirt. You had put your hair up behind your head in a bun with two chopsticks securing it.

"I know what we need. We need some ice-cream, and chocolate, and some stuff from the kitchens. Hestia, will you come with me to grab the stuff?"

"But isn't it after curfew?"

"You're talking to an honorary Marauder here. We won't get caught."

"Oh alright."

You turned and looked at your other three friends. "Can you guys get everything else ready by the time we get back?"

"No problem."

"Excellent." You grabbed Hestia's hand and quickly pulled her out of the portrait hole. She started walking towards the Grand Staircases but you stopped her. You pulled her over to a bookcase that was right next to the portrait hole. You reached up, grabbed a particular book and the bookshelf slid in and over, allowing the two of you to walk into the passageway, one at a time. Once the two of you were in, it slid back into place. Hestia was looking at you in amazement. You just grinned.

Both of you walked down the long spiral staircase until you reached the end of it. You walked up to the wall and pushed a large, square button that was a little bigger than your whole hand. It sank into the wall and what looked like the back of another bookcase slid aside. Hestia was amazed to find out that it was another bookcase. The two of you were in a study room/lounge on the fourth floor.

"We still have a couple more floors to go." Hestia said. You could tell she was getting nervous.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." You walked out of the lounge and down to staircases on the Grand Staircase to the first floor. You walked down the corridor, Hestia close on your heels, until you reached a portrait of a grand piano. The man that usually occupied the painting had gone to another portrait for the night. You pulled out your wand and muttered a soft incantation. The picture itself glowed eerily for a moment then dematerialized in it's frame, allowing you entrance into the passageway. You quickly hurried into the passageway and pulled Hestia in too. The picture came back within it's frame, causing the corridor to disappear from view and the darkness to swallow you whole.

"Lumos" Light from your wand lit up the skinny passageway. You knew this passageway well. It led to corridor that was between the kitchens and the dungeons. The passageway sloped downward a great deal as you continued down it and you knew you were getting close. A familiar smell came to your nostrils and you smiled. You were definitely close. Finally the light from your wand hit the wall. Hestia frowned and let out a sigh.

"A dead end..."

You just smirked. You put out your light and for a moment there was total darkness but you knew what you were doing. You tapped on the wall in a triangular motion and the wall slid aside revealing the corridor you knew you and Hestia would eventually reach. You turned your smirking face towards Hestia.

"You were saying...?"

The two of you quickly hurried down to the painting you knew concealed the kitchen's entrance. You tickled the pear and it giggled, wiggled, and squirmed before finally turning into a doorknob. You were about to open it but suddenly it swung open and out stepped...

**(A/N: DUN! DUN! DUN! I could be really mean and not let you know who it was but just this once, I'll be nice and include it in this chapter. Don't always expect to be this lucky though. evil laugh )**

Peter.

You breathed again. It was just Peter.

"Hey Pete, what are you doing down here?"

"Hey Melody, just grabbing some sweets for the guys. We're all having a big Marauder discussion and the guys got hungry. You know how James and Sirius are."

You rolled your eyes. James and Sirius claimed that their stomachs were bottomless pits. Those dumb, but lovable prats.

"Of course. We'll all of us girls are having a slumber party so me and Hestia are grabbing the snacks,"

"Sounds like fun. Well I'll see you girls in the morning. Night Melody, Night Hestia."

"Night Pete. Send my love to the guys."

"Goodnight Peter."

You quickly pulled Hestia into the kitchen. You didn't want to be caught by any teachers or Professor Dumbledore.

You and Hestia hurried back as quickly as you could loaded down with sweets. It wasn't easy but finally you made it toyour dorm without getting caught. You were extremely pleased with yourself. Hestia was so happy about it that she kept talking about it to the girls.

First, you and the girls gave Hestia a make-over. You tamed her black hair with the girls tried out make-up and other things on her to see what would look best. When you were done, she looked extremely lovely. She was definitely gonna turn a few heads going to breakfast and classes tomorrow. Being your mischievous self, you couldn't help but ask her a question you knew that all the girls were dying to ask her.

"So Hestia, have you got your sights set on anyone in particular?"

She went a dark shade of pink and mumbled something neither you nor the girls could hear.

"Who?"

"Sirius."

"This is perfect!" you exclaimed.

"How?" Alice spoke up.

"Well think about it. Sirius has been looking for the right girl and Hestia likes Sirius. I think they should at least go out for a couple of days. I think you'd be really good for him Hestia. Trust me, he has another side besides all that goofiness we see in classes and stuff."

"That's actually a good idea." Rae agreed. Even Lily said it was, which amazed you.

"Sirius won't go out with me." Hestia argued still blushing.

"We shall see my shy friend, we shall see."

Later on, you and the girls were all sitting in a circle on the floor, eating snacks and sharing girl talk. You wanted to catch up with the girls. All of the you had a great time. All of you shared secrets, Rae and Alice spilled some stuff about Kingsley and Frank, you even teased Lily a little about James. You came up with a plan to get Sirius to like Hestia and the girls each gave you advice on what you should do about Remus. All in all, it was a fun and messy night. Your dorm was completely messy now but you didn't care. You would remember this night forever.

As you crawled into your bed early in the morning trying to get some sleep before classes and drifted off to sleep, you couldn't help but dream about Remus.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Classes, Matchmaking, and Disappearances**

You woke up the next morning, actually anxious for once to go to classes. You got up out of bed slowly though. You were definitely not a morning person. Hestia was already up and Lily was stirring. Alice and Rae were still sleeping.

You grinned as you remembered you were gonna show Hestia off today, especially to Sirius.

"Alright! It's time to get Hestia all dolled up again and she's gonna have Sirius eating out of her palm in no time." you said to Lily, smirking. Lily grinned as Hestia blushed.

"You guys, I don't think this is such a good idea." Hestia tried to argue.

"No buts, we are doing this and there is nothing you can say to stop us." You pushed her into the bathroom.

Hestia was already wearing her uniform. She looked like a normal Hogwarts student but she was trying a little too hard to look absolutely perfect. Her blouse was buttoned all the way up and her robes were perfectly straight, for crying out loud! You had to fix it. You turned her mid-back black hair that you had tamed and straightened into flowing waves, applied a light eyeshadow and mascara, added just a touch of blush, with just a little pink lipgloss. You messed up her robes a little so she looked a bit more normal and unbuttoned some of her blouse buttons. She started to protest though because now she was showing off her neck. You rolled your eyes, pulled out your wand, shortened her skirt a bit and made her change her shoes so that now she was wearing your knee high, black, suede, high-heeled, lace-up boots. You also untucked her blouse and loosened her tie. You added some silver hoop earrings in her ears and surveyed your work. You grinned proud of it.

"What do you think Lils?"

"Wow, you look great Hestia."

"And don't you dare change any of it 'cause I'll put it right back whatever you do." you threatened her waving your wand.

"I won't, I promise. As weird as it sounds, I'm actually looking forward to this now." Hestia said smiling. She looked radiant when she smiled.

You were surprised but you grinned nevertheless. You quickly put on your uniform too. You decided to show off too. You were gonna make Remus sorry he had not asked you out immediately. You unbuttoned your blouse buttons, loosened your tie, kept your blouse untucked and shortened your skirt to mid-thigh just like Hestia. You pulled up your long curls into a high ponytail with your curls cascading down your neck and upper back. You quickly put on your make-up, using light blue eyeshadow and eyeliner to emphasize your eyes and make them stand out against your black robes. You added lipgloss and a light blush to your face, put on some smaller silver hoops than Hestia's, and pulled on your black, leather, mid-calf, high-heeled boots with curved toes. You also put on your ring that you had worn outside yesterday on your middle finger, put your wand inside your robe in your wand pocket, and grabbed your bag.

You turned and saw that Lily was also ready. Lily's uniform was a bit more conservative than yours and Hestia's but it was still relaxed. She had curled her gorgeous red hair and pulled the right side back with a barrette. Alice and Rae were getting up now and dressed in their uniforms quickly. When all of you were finally ready, you let Alice, Rae, and Lily go down before you and Hestia. You went down before Hestia but you held onto her arm to make sure she wasn't going to hide up in the dorm.

"Now I'm not so sure about this Melody." Hestia said looking uneasy as you reached the bottom of the stairs.

"No way you're getting out of this, Tia." you said grinning and pulling her out into the common room.

"Tia?" she looked at you questioningly.

"My new nickname for you." you replied simply.

"Morning Melody." You heard two voices chorus. You turned to see James and Sirius grinning at you.

"Hey guys."

"And who might this be with you?" Sirius asked smiling charmingly at Hestia.

"You guys know Hestia Jones, right?" you grinned. You just couldn't stop grinning. This whole thing was just too good.

"Wow, lookin' good Jones." Sirius said winking at her. The grin on your face grew wider as you noticed her blushing face.

"And of course, our sis here is looking gorgeous, just like she does everyday." James added, winking at you.

"Too true." Sirius agreed, turning his attention back to you.

"Well thank you my lovable brothers. By the way, where are Pete and... Remus?" Your voice stiffened at the last name mentioned, even though you'd said it yourself.

"Pete should be down shortly and Remus," They both smiled mysteriously as you raised an eyebrow at them, "went to breakfast early but we told him to wait for us so he should still be down there."

You were about to ask them what was up with their mysterious smiles but Peter's arrival stopped you from asking. Instead, you looked around the common room for Alice, Rae, and Lily but they were no where to be found.

"Frank and Kingsley took Alice and Rae to breakfast already and Jamesie here already made Evans storm off in a huff this morning so it's just us." Sirius answered the question you'd been about to ask. You looked over at James. His face was slightly red from embarrassment. You hugged him.

"Don't worry James, she'll come around one day." you whispered in his ear, his messy hair tickling your face a little.

"Thanks Melody." he whispered back as you two broke apart.

You remembered that all of you were supposed to be heading to breakfast. Classes were gonna start shortly.

"We'd best be off to breakfast." You said. Then, you had an idea.

"Sirius, why don't you escort Hestia?"

"Sure." he replied. He walked up to Hestia and held out his arm. She looked at you. You grinned and nodded. Blushing, she slipped her arm through Sirius's and they started off.

You looked at your two remaining friends and smiled brightly. "Let's go chow down, shall we?"

You arrived in the Great Hall with James and Peter, right behind Sirius and Hestia. Just as you predicted, everyone was gawking at Hestia, wondering who she was, about her new look, and of course, having Sirius on her arm was attracting even more attention. You grinned.

"You planned this didn't you, 'sis'?" James whispered to you as all of you walked over to the Gryffindor table.

"Of course, this is the best way to crack her shell, and the most amusing way." you replied.

James chuckled softly. When all of you reached the table, everyone sat down quickly except for you. You surveyed the table. James, was on Remus's right, Peter on his left, Rae and Kingsley were on Peter's left. In front of Rae and Kingsley were Alice and Frank. On Alice's left was Sirius, then Hestia, then there was an open space, then Lily was at the very end right in front of James. You pretty much knew that the girls had planned there being an open spot in front of Remus on purpose and you weren't sure if the guys were helping along or if it was mere coincidence. You weren't in the mood to argue anymore or feel any more distraught than you already were so you left it go and sat down on the bench in between Lily and Hestia. You began to fix your breakfast. You could feel a pair of eyes on you and you knew by the quickening of your pulse that it was Remus. You ignored him and continued what you were doing. You heard a familiar noise overhead. It was time for the post. A beautiful white owl with violet colored eyes landed in front of you. It was your owl Shimmer. You quickly took the letter from her and gave her a piece of bacon while stroking her silky feathers and reading the letter from your family.

_Dearest Daughter, _

_How is school going? We haven't heard from you for a while so we decided to check in. Anything fun coming up like a Quidditch game or a Hogsmeade trip? Any new friends? Any new boyfriends? You knew we had to ask. Anyways, Christmas is coming up soon and we want to know whether or not you're coming home for the holidays. We would love to see you and you can any of your friends like, Lily, Alice, or Rae and since we know they'll be here if you are, James and Sirius. By the way, say hello to the devious duo for us. We'll most likely be having a big party this year so we would like you to be here for that. Your brothers and sisters all miss you and hope you're having a great time. Michael and Vanessa are expecting their baby any day now. _

You smiled as you thought about your oldest brother and his wife. He was still young but he and Vanessa were made for each other. You were so happy for them.

_Speaking of babies, your youngest brother is growing like mad and is very anxious to see you again. I think James and Sirius corrupted him because he's a little rascal and he's very handsome just like the both of them. Well, we know you're busy darling so ta ta for now. Write back to us soon! _

_With much love, _

_Mom and Dad_

You noticed that your Mom and Dad had enclosed some pictures in your letter. You looked over them happily. There was one of Michael and Vanessa, One of your parents, one of your three sisters, Jenna, Katherine, and Evelyn, one of your other brother, Seth, that was a year older than you, one of your younger brother, Daniel, and of course, one of your entire family. You missed all of them a lot. You smiled fondly at the picture of your whole family. You couldn't wait to see them again.

"What are the pictures of?" Hestia's voice startled you.

"My family." you replied.

You turned back to Shimmer, who was sitting on the table, waiting expectantly.

"Thanks Shimmer. I'll write back later. Go get some rest in the Owlery girl."

Shimmer hooted softly and nipped your finger affectionately before taking off again. Then you remembered.

You knocked on the table to get your friends attention. "Guys" you called. They all turned towards you.

"My parents said that you guys are welcome over the holidays, even though I know James and Sirius will be there anyways, they said hello to you two, and all of you are invited to our big Christmas party, Frank, Kingsley, that means you guys too. Heaven knows what would happen if Alice and Rae were to come and their boyfriends didn't; How could they ever survive?" You grinned.

"It would almost be as bad a catastrophe as breaking a nail!" Sirius said grinning.

That made you burst out laughing. James and Sirius quickly joined in, only moments later Sirius stopped and his laughter was replaced by shouts of "Ow!" because Alice and Rae had both smacked him upside his head.

"You might want to be careful Siri. Remember, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." you chuckled.

Sirius was about to reply but you all had to head off to class. All of you headed off to Transfiguration.

You sat down next to Lily, feeling like you hadn't talked to her properly in ages. You were about to come up with something to talk to her about but she started first.

"So what else did your parents say in that letter?"

You grinned. "They were asking about my life, asking in there were any Hogsmeade trips or matches coming up, if I had any new friends or boyfriends, just the usual."

Lily raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of the word boyfriend. You just shook your head at her.

"They also said that Michael and Vanessa are expecting their baby any day now."

Lily smiled. "What are they having?"

"I'm pretty sure they're having a girl but I dunno. We'll have to see."

Just then, Professor McGonagall walked in the room. "Today we'll be working on human transfiguration. You'll need to an expect at it by the time you take your transfiguration N.E.W.T.."

You smiled a small smile. So did James, Sirius, and Peter. You smiled because you were a registered Animagus. Only the headmaster knew of your ability and the people who keep track of it at the Ministry of course. The guys smiled because they were unregistered Animagi. **(A/N: The guys ****DO NOT**** know about you and you don't know about them. No, we'll save all that confusion for later...) **Transfiguration just came to you naturally. You were really good at it like you were at Charms.

"You will be turning your partner into a domestic creature of some kind. Not necessarily a big one, just something simple like a cat or dog. Now get started."

You turned to Lily and concentrated hard. You waved your wand in a complex motion and spoke the incantation deliberately. Lily gasped as she began to shrink. Her robes and beautiful hair changed to fur and finally you were looking down at a pretty white cat with bright emerald eyes. She meowed up at you.

"If it's any consolation Lils, you're a very pretty cat." You conjured up a small mirror and showed her her reflection.

She meowed again. "Okay, okay, I'll turn you back." You waved your wand again and your best friend once again looked like herself.

"Whew. It's good to be back." she said grinning. You just laughed.

"Excellent job Miss (Last Name), Ten points to Gryffindor." You just grinned.

You turned to Lily again. "It's your turn Lils. Do your worst." You smirked.

She repeated the same complicated motion with her wand and said the incantation. You felt yourself shrinking and fur sprouting up. Lily grinned down at you and grabbed your mirror. You stared at your reflection in the mirror with satisfaction. You were a beautiful reddish and vanilla colored Siberian husky. The fur on top of your head, your back, and the top side of your tail were a beautiful reddish color and your jaw, stomach, legs, and the bottom side of your tail were a creamy, vanilla color. The only thing that remained the same were your blue eyes. **(A/N: This isn't your Animagus form. Remember Professor McGonagall said a domestic animal...) **

"You're a very pretty dog, Melody." Lily said smiling.

You barked, wagging your tail. Just as Professor McGonagall was awarding Lily house points for her excellent transfiguration, you turned your head and saw that Remus had turned Sirius into a dog too. He looked like a big, black Lab. It made you want to laugh and he jumped up on Remus and started licking his face.

"Gerroff me Sirius, ya mangy mutt." Remus said, trying to push him off.

Because you were stiff miffed at Remus, you decided to help Sirius. You ran over to Remus's legs and grabbed his robe with your sharp teeth. You pulled him backwards so that he fell and Sirius fell on top of him. This gave more access to Remus's face. Sirius started licking his face, making Remus all slobbery. You barked happily at Sirius and ran back over to Lily, wanting her to change you back. In a matter of seconds, you were back to normal. You began to laugh at the two of your friends. Remus finally managed to push Sirius off and turn him back. Sirius started laughing his bark-like laugh and walked over to you.

"Thanks for the assist, sis." he whispered grinning.

"No problem." you replied, still giggling.

Sirius headed back to his table and so did you. You sat down and began to talk to Lily again. Little did you know, Remus was watching you closely, his face tinted with a blush.

You walked happily with Lily, Hestia, Rae, and Alice to Charms, not knowing that you were being watched. And so was Lily. You knew the guys had to be somewhere close by. James never strayed too far from Lily and you knew the other guys were always close, if not right next to each other. As you walked in, you saw Professor Flitwick already on top of his stack of books, smiling happily. He waved happily to you and Lily as you sat down together. As soon as everyone had come in and sat down however, he announced that he was partnering you up to work on different mood charms. You knew these well and could cast them easily. Not so surprisingly, he paired you up with James.

You cast a Cheering Charm on him just as he cast a Melancholy Charm on you. Just as he was taking off of you, he said, "Think I should cast an Entrancing Enchantment on Evans?"

You smirked. "As amusing as that would be, I don't think so James. I think you should listen to me and Remus on how to behave, like we've told you before, be nice and stop asking her out all the time. I'll try to pull a few strings on your behalf though."

"Thanks Melody."

You were about to tell him that it was no big deal and you actually had somewhat of a plan on how to talk to Lily about it but at that moment a charm hit you. Surprisingly though, it ricocheted off of you and also hit James. The next thing you knew you and James were standing up and starting to do a cool and wild, hip-hop like dance. Pretty soon, you had all eyes on you. The funny thing Professor Flitwick seemed to be in total awe and made no move stop you. You had no control over your limbs so you couldn't stop yourselves. You looked over at James and his hazel eyes were glinting with laughter. You had to admit this was pretty funny. You grinned as you continued to dance. You noticed that Remus was watching you intently. He had been paired up with Rae. Rae was grinning, clearly amused. You turned your attention away from Remus to Sirius so you didn't Rae lean over and start to talk to Remus.

"You know, I'm sure if you just talked to her Remus, she wouldn't act like this. I think you two need to get rid of all this tension and awkwardness. If that kiss outside meant anything to you, then you need to tell her and get it over with."

Remus had to admit she was right but he just didn't know what to do. He knew you were still angry with him but he couldn't let it end like that. He turned his attention back to your dance.

Pretty soon, you had your classmates grooving and cheering. That seemed to snap Professor Flitwick out of the trance he had fallen into. He quickly waved his wand and you and James stopped. The class groaned. Professor Flitwick surveyed the class and spoke up, "Who cast that spell on Mr. Potter and Ms. (Lastname)?"

Peter shakily raised his hand. "It was my fault Professor."

"It's alright Mr. Pettigrew but next time do try to be careful."

You and James sat back down, trying to catch your breath and rest your now aching limbs but then, a few short minutes later, the bell rang. You didn't realize how much time had actually passed but you were glad. You needed to sit down and now it was time for lunch.

You and James walked slowly into the Great Hall, you leg muscles aching.

"If it wasn't for the fact that he's a fellow Marauder, I'd kill him." James groaned

"If it wasn't for the fact that's he's a human being, I'd kill him." You added. "Nevermind him being a Marauder."

As you and James crossed the Great Hall, you could hear people talking about it to their friends. You couldn't help rolling your eyes. Everyone around here just had to know the other's business.

When you and James reached the Gryffindor table, Sirius smirked. "That was a nice show you two. Thanks for providing us with the entertainment Pete."

Peter started to stutter out apologies but you just continued to look at Sirius. You secretly pulled out your wand and quickly aimed it at Sirius's face.

"Aguamenti!"

Sirius stared up at you in shock. You just stuck your tongue out at him.

"That's what you get. Me and James are tired after all that fun. Although even I have to admit it was pretty funny."

You elbowed James softly in the arm. "Right James?"

James grinned. "Too true. It reminded me of all those balls and parties we danced at when we were younger."

You laughed but then you heard someone snort. You turned and you knew from the look on his face that it had come from Remus. Was it possible it was jealous? Even though you were still mad at him, the thought of him being jealous made you giddy on the inside. On the outside though, you scoffed at him and turned your attention back to Sirius. However, his attention was directed down the table towards someone else. You turned and saw Hestia sitting with a couple of her study buddies, talking enthusiastically with Amos Diggory. You watched as Sirius's face contorted with anger. You were astonished. Could the Sirius Black, the playboy, the guy who would have a different girl to toy with every few days or every few weeks, one of the biggest womanizers you'd ever met, and one of your best and closest friends, possibly be jealous? And of Diggory?

Even if Sirius was jealous of Diggory, he really had no reason to be. Amos Diggory was a charming boy, you had to admit, but he was smitten with a Hufflepuff girl. You weren't sure of her name but recognized her instantly. She was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with her friends. And since you knew Hestia fancied Sirius, all that needed to be done was for Sirius himself to see it and admit he fancied her as well. You smiled secretly. She would be so good for him.

You ate your lunch slowly as you continued to be deep in thought. It was time for you to be matchmaker; to bring Sirius and Hestia together and Lily and James was going to take some work.

After lunch, you walked with the girls down to Herbology, the guys not too far behind you. As Lily, Alice, Hestia, and Rae talked, you were busy plotting. In order to bring Lily and James together, you had to get James to change his attitude a bit and get Lily to agree to a date with him. If only you could get her to agree to go to Hogsmeade with him this weekend. It could definitely be a start, but the only way you could get her to agree to that would be if you tricked her...That gave you an idea but you couldn't put the plan into action until after classes.

In Sirius and Hestia's case, however, it was a matter of getting Sirius to admit he had some feelings for Hestia. Although getting him to admit this was going to be a challenge. Sirius was very tight-lipped when it came to girls, well at least he was to you. He probably told everything to the Marauders. You rolled your eyes at that last thought.

As you followed Professor Sprout into the greenhouses, you turned to Lily.

"Lils?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your idea of the perfect guy?"

Lily raised an eyebrow at you. You could see those brilliant green eyes of hers brimming with curiosity. She said nothing though. She seemed to ponder your question throughly before answering.

"Well, he would definitely have to be smart,"

"Of course Lils. If he wasn't, how ever could he understand you when you go off on one of your rants, like the ones about James?"

She gave you a look. You grinned. "Sorry, continue."

"He would be courageous,"

"Well of course, who wants to be in love with a wimp?"

Another look. You held up your hands in surrender and motioned for her to continue.

"He would be loving and kind to me and our children,"

"Now would you honestly have children with this man if he wasn't loving and kind to you?"

An exasperated look. You clamped a hand over your mouth and motioned again.

"He would have to be a good listener,"

"Men are never good listeners. Honestly, have you been watching sappy movies lately or what?"

You looked shocked at your own words. You just couldn't seem to shut up and let her finish. Whoops.

"And our love would be so great, so powerful, so beautiful, that everyone would know we were meant to be forever and we would be forever."

At this last bit, you didn't speak. You simply smiled. Then a thought occurred to you and you smirked.

"Lils?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't mention that he would drop dead gorgeous."

Lily looked indignant. "He doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous."

"Liar." Your smirk grew.

"I am not lying!"

"Do you mean to tell me that just anyone who had all those characteristics would do for you? I mean, let's say Snape had all those qualities and had the capacity to love you like that, would you honestly do it?" You crossed your arms and just continued to smirk because you knew you had her.

She turned to look at Snape, who was pulling on his dragon hide gloves as you two spoke. Lily grimaced.

"No." she said quietly.

"I knew it."

The ugly look on her face grew. You stopped smirking and looked at her seriously, but with a small smile on your face.

"Lily, c'mon, you're only human. I know you want the man of your dreams to look good and not completely unfortunate. I'm your best friend. I know what you really need. You need a man with all those qualities, yes, but you also need a man who can stir up your passionate side so the love you two share will not only be beautiful and eternal, but also passionate. The man to stir these passions though has got to be someone who you know is your equal."

Lily smiled. "How do you know me so well?"

"Now didn't I just tell you I'm your best friend? I know all Lilykins."

Professor Sprout had all of you working on Venemous Tentacula so in between trying to remain unpoisoned and getting a good grade for the day, you hardly had time to talk to Lily anymore, even though she was your partner. Around the end of class though, you finally got your chance.

"So Lils, what do you think of James?"

She looked at you as though you had gone insane.

"Melody, you know perfectly well that I think Potter is an egotistical prat."

"While it may be true that he is sometimes egotistical, and can, at times, be a prat, you also have to admit, he is your equal."

Lily started to splutter out a rebuttal but you raised a hand to silence her and continued. "Think about it Lils, he's brilliant, even you have to admit that."

She nodded reluctantly.

"You know he's brave."

"How so?" she queried, determined to find more faults in James.

"Well, all those times he defended your honor before the Slytherins, he plays as Seeker on the Quidditch team, you know as well as I that you have to have courage and talent for that, and how about that time he saved you last year in Care of Magical Creatures?"

You remembered that day so well.

**FLASHBACK**

_Professor Kettleburn stood before all of you as he showed you the creatures he had brought for you that day. The day was a comfortable one. The sun was hidden behind clouds but made it bright enough because some of it's rays were shining through and the temperature was not too hot or cold. Around you, there were huge heaps of ice or blazing fires and you knew it was because of the creatures sitting before you. _

"_Fire Drakes and Cold Drakes." He announced happily, looking down at them. You tore your gaze away from Remus (because you'd been studying him) and looked down at the creatures. They were beautiful in their own way, you supposed. They looked like mini dragons minus the wings or what was known in the muggle world as a komodo dragon. They were either orangish red or a deep blue that was a bit darker than your own eyes. Their reptilian muscles were rippling as they thrashed around, bumping into each other, trying to go their own way. Professor Kettleburn paired you with Rae and you picked a Cold Drake. You watched in awe as it began to climb a huge block of ice, it's long, curved claws digging into the ice with force. _

"_You know once you get over being afraid of them, they're actually kind of cool." You commented. _

"_And pretty." Rae added. _

"_You can't really call a reptilian monster pretty, Rae. You can say it has a nice color though, I'm sure it'll be flattered either way." You grinned. _

_Rae was just about to issue a rebuttal when you heard a scream. Both of you whipped around and saw Lily being chased around by a Fire Drake. It was breathing fire at her and she look terrified. You pulled out your wand, ready to take action when you noticed James doing the same thing. You thought about it and decided to give James a chance to show Lily that he wasn't a total jerk. He looked at you and you nodded. He grinned and in an awesome display of magical power, stopped the Fire Drake and saved Lily. She was absolutely hysterical. _

_When you had finally calmed Lily down though, you insisted that she go thank James because he did save her life. You practically had to drag her over to him kicking and screaming. You placed her in front of him and saluted him with two fingers, walking off grinning. Of course, you being you, you didn't go far. You watched the two of them carefully. As you watched Lily begin to speak, you noticed that James's hand was making it's way up to his hair. You waved frantically at him, crossing your arms and shaking your head. He got the message and lowered his hand slowly. He smiled kindly at Lily and you knew he was reassuring her that it was no big deal. You grinned as you saw the small tinge of a blush coming to his face as she smiled at him. Finally though she did something you thought she'd never do in a million years. She pecked James on the cheek, causing him to turn bright red and faint. Sirius caught him and you helped him cart James back up to the castle. _

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"Why did you have to remind me of that day?" she groaned, blushing softly.

"To help me prove my point." you insisted.

"James is loving and kind." You said, continuing on with your point.

"And where is the proof of that?"

"The perfect proof is right here talking to you, Lils."

And for once in her life, Lily Evans looked confused. "What?"

"Think about it. I've known James ever since he was young. He didn't have to be friends with me but he became my friend. He treats me like his own flesh and blood and is very sweet. He could bug me constantly like he does you but he doesn't. Well, at least, not as much as you. You know he treats me well."

"Oh alright. Continue."

"You actually want me to continue?"

"Well I know you're going to anyways, so why stop you when you're on a roll?"

"Alright then. Continue on, I shall."

"He's a good listener because he always listens to you, even when you're shooting him down and belittling his character, and you know he listens to me, and as you know, that takes patience." You grinned.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"And as for the love part, you know as well as I that James would love you the way you want to be loved. He stirs your passions, especially when you two fight. You can feel the heat between you two. You know that deep down; you just don't want to admit it to yourself."

Lily opened her mouth to protest but you stopped her. "Don't try to deny it Lily Evans. I see right through you."

Just then the bell rang and Lily tried to get away from you so you couldn't prove your point but you weren't about to let her win that easily.

"Lily, you know I'm right, otherwise you wouldn't be running away."

Then she stopped so abruptly that you ran into her. She whirled around and faced you, her green eyes flashing.

"Melody, James Potter and I fight because he's an egotistical prat who thinks that I'm going to like him just because he's asks me out over and over again, not because we have passion! I could get anyone else in this school I wanted to and I bet he'd have more passion in his pinkie finger than Potter has in his whole body!"

"Really?"

You could tell Lily was getting very frustrated. You knew it was time to make your move.

"Well, why don't you prove to me than you and James have no passion eh? You're so intent on proving me wrong, so why don't you?"

"Because I don't have to prove anything to you. Like you said, you know all so you know this."

'_Touche Lily.' _You thought. _'I have to hurry before she catches on to what I trying to do.' _

"Okay Lily." You leaned up against the familiar tree you always sat under. Lily started to walk away but you spoke up again.

"I was going to get you to agree to going with him to Hogsmeade this weekend so you could prove me wrong. I actually thought you were going to prove me wrong! What was I thinking? As if you could!"

Lily froze in her tracks. You knew that would get her. She slowly turned and faced you.

"You know what Melody! You're on! I'll go with Potter and I'm going to prove you wrong!"

A smile slowly spread over your face then it curled into a smirk.

"What are you smirking at?" Lily snapped.

"Do you realize what you just said?"

A look of realization spread over Lily's face and she looked horrified. "Did-Did I just agree to go to Hogsmeade with James Potter?"

"Indeed you did." If the grin on your face could've gotten wider, it would have.

"Melody, I-I didn't really mean it..."

"Ooooohhhhh no Lily, you're not getting out of this. You've agreed and now there's no turning back."

And at this, you turned and left her determined to find James.

You knew that James couldn't have gotten far because your next lesson was Potions and he was in it too. You found him standing in the Entrance Hall with the other Marauders.

"Oh James," you called.

He turned and faced you, the familiar twinkle in his hazel eyes was gone. This concerned you but you knew once you told him what you'd done, the twinkle would come back with a vengeance.

"Ah Melody, what brings you over to us?"

"I have some good news for you."

"Oh really?"

"Indeed."

"And just what would this news be?"

"Well, I thought you'd like to know that you'll have a date for Hogsmeade this weekend."

James groaned. "Well, go and tell this young lady that the date is cancelled."

"Oh, I think you'd seriously regret canceling this date."

"And why is that?"

"Because this particular date is with the one, the only Lilian Evans."

James looked downright stunned, as did the other Marauders.

"You're serious."

You nodded.

"This isn't a cruel joke?"

You shook your head.

"We haven't been transported into an alternate universe where Lily Evans actually likes me and she accepted a date with me without fighting it?"

You looked at him a slightly bewildered, slightly amused face then shook your head.

"She really is going with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

You nodded.

"How did you do it?" James still looked astonished.

You pretended to be polishing your fingernails on your robes. "I'm just that good."

Then James jumped up, whooping excitedly, and did a dance around you and the Marauders. You were indeed amused. Then he surprised you by wrapping his arms around your waist and picking you up off the ground, spinning you around happily. You started to laugh for two reasons: One, because it was fun, and two, because James's happiness was making you happy.

"Alright Jamsie, time to put me down. We have to get to Potions, remember?"

"Oh alright. I have to find some way to repay you Melody."

"Don't worry about it, James. This is going to be interesting."

When you sat down in Potions and class started, Professor Slughorn made a very unusual announcement.

"I'm going to be pairing you up on a project. I'm going to assign you partners and a potion to research. The partner I assign you will also be your new potions partner in my class." The class groaned.

You didn't know whether to be happy or angry. On the one hand, Professor Slughorn could assign you be with one of the girls, or James, Sirius, or Peter, or anyone else besides a Slytherin and you'd be perfectly fine. But if he stuck you with Remus or any of the Slytherins besides Severus, you were going to scream. You'd just have to see.

"Miss Evans and Mr. Potter."

You smirked. That was absolutely perfect. Lily made the most sour face you'd ever seen as James sat down beside her. But to your surprise, he didn't speak to her at all. He just sat there quietly, not saying a word. You were curious. You'd have to ask him about it later.

"Miss Jones and Mr. Black."

This was priceless. You couldn't help but grin as you saw Sirius sit down next to Hestia and immediately start to charm her, which made her face turn a lovely shade of pink.

"Miss Moore and Mr. Longbottom."

Well that worked out perfectly for them. You shot Alice a thumbs up and she just grinned back.

Rae got put with a familiar Ravenclaw prefect and Peter got put with a cute blonde Hufflepuff. You zoned out and stopped listening until you heard those fateful words,

"And finally, "Miss (Lastname) and Mr. Lupin."

'_Great,' _you thought angrily, _'Just great.' _

You sat down stiffly next to Remus. You pulled out your Potions book, looking over various potions so you wouldn't have to speak to Remus. You wondered vaguely what potion you'd be working on. You zoned out again but as Professor Slughorn reached your desk, your attention suddenly came back.

"You two will be researching Amortentia."

You groaned. _On top of everything else, he's assigning us the most powerful love potion in the world. What else could go wrong? _

During class, Professor Slughorn assigned you a simple brew but since you and Remus really weren't talking, it was really difficult. You spoke only to ask for ingredients or to do something for the potion. You were torn. On the one hand you wanted to apologize for your behavior but then you remembered the night before and Anna and then you wanted to beat his face in. You were now determined to wait for him to apologize to you. You were incredibly stubborn and your pride wouldn't let you apologize.

You took your vial of the potion up to Slughorn's desk after you and Remus had finished. Remus cleared away the potion and the two of you just sat there. Remus opened his mouth to speak but then the bell rang. You rushed out of the Dungeons and headed up to Gryffindor Tower with the girls. You quickly changed out of your uniform into black, slightly baggy cargo pants with a red and pink quarter-length sleeve shirt with a scooped neck. The shirt was pink on the torso and the sleeves were red and some black tennis shoes. You let your flowing curls down and the only piece of jewelry you left on was your ring.

You were hurrying out to the grounds so you could enjoy the last bit of the evening before dinner outdoors. You were supposed to meet the girls out by the tree. On your way down though, you saw someone coming from the direction of Professor Dumbledore's office. They looked very familiar...

**(not your POV)**

A few hours later at dinner, Lily was very concerned. She hadn't seen Melody since she had come up to Gryffindor Tower with her and the girls. She hadn't met her on the grounds and She wasn't here at dinner. Lily figured it was time to ask the guys where she was.

"Have you guys seen Melody? I haven't seen her since right after Potions. She was supposed to meet us out on the grounds and she never showed. I'm worried."

"Lily, she's probably getting a head start on our Potions project or something. Don't worry about her. Melody can take care of herself." Sirius assured the redhead.

However, hours later when it was time for her detention with the Marauders and she still hadn't shown up, all of her friends were extremely worried. They didn't know what to do. Where could Melody be?


	5. Chapter 5

**IMPORTANT A/N:**** Okay, I know it's been forever since I updated and I'm sorry but there is a perfectly good explanation. I've been extremely busy since I last updated. I graduated from high school, went to two proms, went to HOSA nationals in Florida, went to orientation for college, had to help my high school with band camp, had some drama going on with my dad and who I now consider my EX-stepmother, went to my own band camp for one of the most difficult and prestigious college marching bands and of course moved in and started going to college. I really couldn't convert my documents onto my laptop during the summer because I was so busy and so I couldn't update. My college is like a six-hour drive from my hometown so I couldn't really go home and get them and with band practice four times a week, a lot of work, and games every Saturday, I just couldn't do it. So I apologize for that but it couldn't be helped. My mom actually brought me disks with my documents on them not too long ago but I couldn't open them because I needed a converter. So now I'm back and ready to give you some more chapters. Be excited! **

**Chapter 5: Enchanted Teddy Bears and A Cherry Blossom Tree**

**(Back to your POV) **

You recognized them immediately.

"Dad!" you yelled, running towards him. He smiled and engulfed you in a hug as you collided with him.

"How are you, my clever little sorceress?" You grinned.

"Great Dad, but what are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that Vanessa went into labor today. She and Michael wanted all us to be there when the baby is born so I've come to borrow you for about a day so you can be there too."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" You were excited and you were about to be an aunt!

You quickly summoned your cloak to you and walked with your father back outside and towards the gates of Hogwarts.

The unpleasant tube-like sensation wore of quickly as you gazed around the wooded clearing that was at the edge of the wards that protected your home. Your father has told you that there has been an increasing number of attacks both on wizards and muggles so he had expanded the wards that protected your home. You couldn't apparate inside of them, just like at Hogwarts. You knew you were a good ways from your home but your father had remedied that. There was a familiar carriage waiting on both of you. You quickly climbed into it, followed by your father, and gazed out the window as the carriage began to move. For a long while, all you could see was woods and just as you began to grow anxious, your house came into view. It was very beautiful at night. You could see your huge castle-like house lit up from the outside and the many torches that bordered the pathway, across the grounds, to the lake. You could even see the stable house where your horses were kept in the increasing darkness. You couldn't wait to see your family. You had really missed them.

You stepped down from the carriage and were greeted immediately by two of your favorite house elves , Binky and Licorice.

"Hey guys, how've you been?" You hugged both of them. You knew some masters weren't good to their house elves but your family treated the ones in your house like family, and they'd been around so long, they practically were.

"Wonderful, Miss Melody! Binky and Licorice are glad you have come home. Miss Vanessa is nearly ready!"

You ushered both of them inside the house and your father quickly led you to the rest of your family. Your eyes immediately focused on your mother, who was softly playing the piano. People said she looked like an older version of you because she pretty much looked exactly like you except her hair was a few shades lighter than your own. She quickly pulled you into a hug. You smelled her familiar lavender lotion and knew you were definitely home. Your dad went and sat in an armchair next to the piano. You always thought your father was a very handsome man. He had the same color hair as your own and his eyes were like dark sapphires. His tan skin was stretched over many muscles and he stood at an imposing height for his age. He was a great dad because he was really fun and mischievous like you. Michael and Seth had inherited their roguish good looks from him. Jenna, Katherine, and Evelyn were sitting around the room, looking anxious but still trying to relax. Jenna, Jen for short, was the oldest of the sisters. She was tall and slender, with your mother's lighter toned brown hair hanging straight down a little past her shoulders. She had your father's dark blue eyes and was pale. She was the reserved sister. Katherine, Kat or Kitty for short, was a bit shorter than Jenna with black curls down to the middle of her back and the same light blue eyes as your own and your mother's. She had a peaches and cream complexion and she had muscle from playing a lot of sports. Katherine was a lot like you in the sense that she was mischievous and fun-loving. Evelyn, Evey for short, was the same height as Katherine with the same dark brown-almost black curls as you reaching all the way down to her waist and dark sapphire eyes. She had tanned skin and was muscles as well because she was very adventurous and was always doing something that seemed like it might get her killed but she lived for the thrill, the danger. Seth, your second brother and the one closest to you in age, was standing up against one fo the walls. His arms were crossed and one of his legs were bent and folded so that his foot was against the wall. He had straight, short light brown hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was slightly tanned, tall and thin but was acquiring some muscle on his wiry frame. He looked rather bored but what do you expect? Just then your youngest brother, Daniel came hurrying up to you and you picked him up laughing. He was getting so big. He had extremely messy, James-like, dark brown hair and big, light blue eyes that followed your every movement. He was pale was acquiring a small tan from playing outside so much although it was probably fading because of all the cloud cover during winter and slightly plump but you thought him extremely adorable. You put him back down and he hurried back over to your parents. Finally, in

the center of the room, you saw Vanessa, in a bed with several of the house elves attending to her. Even in the state she was, Vanessa was still radiant. Her red-gold hair contrasted majorly with the whiteness of her pillows and her deep green, golden flecked eyes were sparkling. Her skin seemed to glow and she smiled slightly at you before groaning. Michael was standing next to her, holding her hand, looking happy but concerned. Michael reminded you a lot of Sirius coincidentally. Your brother was extremely handsome with his shoulder-length curly dark brown, almost-black hair and his blue eyes which were darker than yours. He had roguish good looks like Sirius did. As you thought of Sirius, you wondered what the gang was up to right now.

**(Not your POV)**

The Marauders and the girls were beginning to grow seriously worried. They had all split up and searched the castle from top to bottom for Melody but she was nowhere to be found. She had totally missed detention and she hadn't been seen for hours. Right now, the Marauders and the girls were majorly breaking curfew looking for her. Remus, however, had stayed in the common room. He was staying there in case Melody came back. He had grabbed the Marauder's map and was scanning it, desperately hoping to see a dot with Melody's name or even just Melody on there but she was no where on the map. She wasn't even in the castle, on the grounds, or in Hogsmeade. A sense of dread built up in Remus. The only room that didn't show itself on the map was the Room of Requirement and Remus doubted that Melody was in there because they would've seen her by now. That only meant one thing: Melody was gone. _Where was she? What has happened to her?_ Questions started running through Remus's head like crazy. He was now feeling guilty. Maybe she ran away from Hogwarts because of him, because he'd been acting stupid lately. Then he shook his head. No, she wasn't that stupid. Remus made a decision right then and there. He would make things right as soon as he saw Melody but first, she had to be found. He ran out of the portrait hole to find the others.

You were bored. That was the bottom line. You'd been waiting with the rest of your family, for hours on Vanessa and the baby but nothing major had happened yet. You needed to stretch your limbs so you walked down to the garden, staring out over the grounds and up at the diamond-studded sky. You knew you missed detention with the guys. You let out a sigh. You wished that you friends were here too. At least then you'd have entertainment. Heck, you even wished Remus was there. All this waiting time had given the opportunity to really think about what had happened over the past few days. You really liked Remus and that kiss outside had been heavenly but it hadn't made him think of you at all. Not to mention, he'd pretty much blown you off that night with Anna. You tucked your hair behind your ears just as a single tear slid down your smooth cheek. It hurt. You really didn't know what to do about Remus. Your head was telling you to forget him especially because of that whole thing with Anna but your heart wouldn't let you. Your heart kept making you remember good times you had had with the guys that included Remus. The memory of that rainy day kiss kept coming back more than the rest. Your heart clearly wouldn't let you give up on Remus but you didn't know what to do. Remus obviously wasn't interested in you but you needed him. A couple more tears rolled down your face. Just then Michael appeared.

"Hey, Vanessa is really getting close now so you might want to come back so you won't miss anything. The mediwitches have finally arrived thank Merlin. Seth didn't want to witness it until after the baby is born and Dad fell asleep in the parlor with Daniel so I don't have to worry about Dad fainting." He grinned.

You let out a half sob/half chuckle. A frown appeared in Michael's face.

"What's wrong sis?"

You couldn't keep it bottled up inside anymore. You told your older brother everything, feeling selfish because you were keeping him from his wife and baby but you couldn't stop once you got started. When you were done talking, you just stood there, staring at the rosebushes filed with all the color roses you could imagine. You felt your brother's arms circle you and you looked up into his face.

"Sis, don't worry. This guy will come around. He'd be crazy not to like you." Your brother was comforting you and making you feel better already. You loved your brother so much.

"Thanks, bro. Let's go check on Nessa."

Both of you were back just in time. Vanessa was ready. Soon you were going to be an aunt!

"We have to go to Professor Dumbledore." Remus insisted. He was leading the group that was heading towards the headmaster's office. Lily was crying, fearing the worst. James had his arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. Sirius had his arm around Hestia, who looked like she was about to cry herself. Sirius whispered something in her ear which made her sadness cease, if only for the moment. Alice looked really worried and Frank kept squeezing he hand reassuringly. Rae looked really sad and was trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. Kingsley had his arm around her and his face was showing total seriousness. Even Peter's face was downcast. Remus was trying hard not to show how upset he truly was. He was trying to stay strong in case, the headmaster did know what was wrong and it was really bad. The reached the gargoyle and Lily raised her head, if only for the moment.

"Pe-pepper I-imps." she sobbed. The gargoyle sprang aside and instead of traveling up to the Headmaster's office like they thought, he appeared right in front of them in his dressing gown, looking as though he has been asleep.

"Why aren't you all in bed and why do you all look so sad?"

"Please Headmaster, we've been looking everywhere for Melody. We're afraid that something terrible has happened to her. She just disappeared this afternoon and hasn't shown up since then." Remus explained

Instead of looking alarmed like they expected, he just looked at all of their sad faces and smiled. They were all bewildered.

"Miss (Lastname) isn't in any danger. In fact, she's not in a terrible situation or sad at all. She is at her home with her family because her eldest brother's wife is about to have her baby and her brother wanted her to be there as did her parents. Her father came and picked her up this afternoon. My thought is she's probably anxiously waiting for the new baby or celebrating. She is fine. I will be going to her home tomorrow to ensure she makes it safely back here to Hogwarts. You all are free to join me if you wish."

"Melody's okay?" Remus asked.

"She was at home this whole time?" Alice queried.

"Nessa's having her baby and me and James weren't told?" Sirius demanded.

Hestia smacked the back of his head, shaking her own. Lily smiled and buried her face in James's chest, just happy her best friend was okay. James had an interesting look on his face. He looked happy that Melody was okay, amazed that Lily was still close to him and even touching him, and a little miffed that he hadn't heard about the baby too, like Sirius had said. All in all, it was interesting look. Rae was smiling, not only at the fact that Melody was okay but she was close to laughing at James. Kingsley was smiling and wrapped his arms around Rae's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Frank slipped his arm around Alice with a smile. Alice herself was grinning and even Sirius had smiled. Remus, however, was the happiest of them all. He smiled the brightest anyone had ever seen, his amber eyes sparkled, and the whole room seemed to brighten with his smile.

"I assume you all will be joining me tomorrow?" Their nods and bright smiles answered his question.

"Sorry for disturbing you, sir." Remus apologized but he was still smiling. There were a lot of nods, agreeing with Remus's statement. They all felt a little silly now. They should've known that Melody can handle herself. They all walked back to Gryffindor Tower, anxious for tomorrow to come, but none so more than Remus.

The sun was just starting to rise. You were exhausted. You had pretty much stayed up all night, not wanting to miss anything. Not too long ago Vanessa had finally given birth to your new niece, Anastasia Jade ( Your Lastname). She was beautiful she had Vanessa's hair and your brother's eyes. She and Vanessa were sleeping right now and your house was pretty much silent. You knew you probably should be catching up on your sleep but you just couldn't for some reason. A soft breeze started to blow, making your hair softly sway and the morning sunlight was making it gleam and your eyes sparkle. Despite the fact that it had been a long night, you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. You had a beautiful new niece and you were with your family. You only wished your friends could be here with you. You smiled softly at the thought of your friends. No doubt they were probably going crazy with concern over you and you knew you should feel a little guilty for not letting them know where you were and that you were safe but strangely, you grinned at the thought. They were all probably going to kill you for not telling them but you shrugged with a smile. They'd forgive you as soon as they saw Ana, with her beautiful red-gold curls and her big dark blue eyes. You knew she was gonna be beauty and definitely a heartbreaker when she got older. You looked over the grounds of your home. You happened to notice that your cherry blossom tree was still in bloom. That was a little odd but it was still beautiful. You made a mental note to go visit the tree later on. The gorgeous sunrise was beautiful, casting it's gorgeous colors to contrast with the colors of the earth. You smiled softly and turned to go back inside. You were probably going to catch up on your zzz's or eat breakfast. Right now, sleep was more favorable.

Remus woke up the next morning, eager for the moment Professor Dumbledore would leave to go to Melody's house. He hadn't forgotten the promise he had made with himself to apologize to Melody the moment he saw her. He wished they could be close friends or maybe even more than friends. He couldn't deny that he was growing very fond of Melody. Her sparkling blue eyes, intoxicating dark curls, melodious laugh, sweet smile...Remus found himself noticing more and more things about her and the more he noticed, the more he liked. He smiled as he remembered the times they'd had together with the Marauders and alone. The memory of her walking in the dorm and catching them acting stupid and the memory of that kiss in the rain stood out vividly in his mind. As much as he tried telling himself otherwise, that kiss outside had been the best he'd ever had and his whole body tingled as he remembered the feeling of her soft lips on his own. Just the vividness of the memory was making him blush. As he was pulling on his uniform, he pulled out his poetry book. Nobody really knew about it except his ex-girlfriends, the ones he had never really given his heart to. Yet, the one girl who was a good friend but not his girlfriend was stealing that heart away and he knew it. He pulled out a quill and began to write.

**M**agically it seems like, she has

**E**nchanted my heart, causing me to

**L**ove her and my heart to

**O** bey this

**D**reamy, Irreplaceable girlwho I have a

**Y**earningfor

Remus paused and stared at the paper. He loved her? He pondered over this for a moment. He had never been in love before so he couldn't really make a fair assessment on whether or not he truly was or not. Maybe it was just infatuation. He really didn't know. He glanced at the clock. He needed to finish getting ready and to get the other guys up. He was sure they had to go to classes before they went with Professor Dumbledore to see Melody. He sighed. Classes were gonna be torture.

You were reading the paper as you ate your big stack of pancakes. You were surprised your mom had the energy to make breakfast. You knew she had hardly slept as well but she managed to look cheerful anyway. Your father was down there eating too, and trying to make Daniel eat too. Seth had already eaten but was still sitting at the table, talking with Jenna. Kat and Evey were having a discussion in between eating. You suspected Michael was sleeping upstairs with Vanessa and Ana. You didn't blame him. He had stayed up all night, being a proud and loving husband and father. It was nice to spend time with your family again. You really missed them when you were in school but you were happy because Christmas was coming very soon and you would be home for the big party. As you read the headline, the happy feeling you had was quickly evaporating.

**ATTACKS ON MUGGLES AND WIZARDS GROWING BY DAY**

You quickly read about how some dark wizard named Voldemort was exterminating muggles, muggle born witches and wizards, half-bloods, and purebloods who did not side with him. It was horrible to think of. Killing someone just because they didn't think like the Slytherins? Killing someone because they actually liked muggle-borns and half-bloods and were willing to support them? Killing purebloods who disagreed with this Voldemort character on the purity of blood? It was all stupid and absurd really. You realized that you had known some of the pureblooded families who had been murdered and you almost choked. You sat there in disbelief for a moment, not really believing they were gone but then it finally started to sink in. A lone tear slipped down your face.

"What's wrong, my dear?" your father's voice pierced your thoughts.

You passed him the paper. Your mother came to his side and they both read the same headline you had read, taking in all the information. Both of their faces grew serious and worried. You were immediately struck with worry. You knew your family would never speak out against muggle-borns and half-bloods even for some murderer. They were decent and not obsessed with the purity of blood. Good thing they weren't or you might have ended up in Slytherin. You knew that Mr. and Mrs. Potter were decent as well and weren't obsessed with the purity of blood either. Unless the gang was reading this too, you had to warn them when you returned.

After breakfast, in Ancient Runes, Remus couldn't concentrate even though he knew it was probably a bad idea in the long run. He was thinking about the poem he'd written and about Melody of course. Sorting out feelings takes time and for Remus it was very confusing. He couldn't really make up his mind whether it was real love or infatuation he was feeling. While he was thinking, he began to write without even realizing it.

**M**usical

**E**ndearing

**L**ovely

**O**utgoing

**D**etermined

**Y**earning for Remus(hopefully)

He snorted at the last night he had written without really realizing it. He was being completely mental. He was also afraid. If he told Melody how he felt about her and she didn't feel the same, he would be devastated. He figured he would probably feel the way he felt when he had told someone about his lycanthropy and they betrayed him. His 'condition' was the main reason he was trying to fight his growing feelings for his charming friend and the reason he couldn't tell her how he felt. Then he saw something slide in front of him. A note.

Nice poem. 

Remus just rolled his eyes at James, who was smirking at him.

_Why are you reading what I'm writing? What if I had just been writing plain old notes, huh? _

But you're not, you're daydreaming about Melody. I don't see why you don't tell her you like her. I mean, when you told us Sunday night in the dorm about that kiss, we could all tell you liked it and it's obvious you like her. I mean, why wouldn't you? She's gorgeous, brilliant, talented, sweet, brave, trustworthy, probably the only girl that can be called a Marauder, what's the problem Moony? 

_I was not daydreaming about her! I was trying to sort out my feelings and my thoughts. Prongs, I can't just tell her that I like her. I know you can go up to Lily and make a fool of yourself, but I just can't do that. She might not even like me at all, so why risk it? Besides, I can't tell her what I am. What if she runs away from me and never speaks to me again? _

I resent that remark! I do not make a fool of myself! Besides Moony, this is Melody we're talking about! She wouldn't do that to you. She trusts me and Sirius wholeheartedly so why wouldn't she trust you? Besides, if she's practically a Marauder(which she is), she won't care about your furry little problem. She might even make it more tolerable like us. 

_I just can't do it Prongs. As much as I like her, I just can't risk it. _

What's life without taking risks? I take risks everyday. 

_Of course you do, pranks are a really big risk. (Rolls eyes) _

I'm not talking about pranks, I'm talking about Lily. I'm always telling her that I like her and asking her out and that's a pretty big risk in itself. I mean, you know what the girl's temper is like. 

_Of course, but remember I've never had your bravery. _

Tell her. I mean it, tell her how you feel by this weekend or I'm telling her. 

Remus was about to write a reply but suddenly the bell rang. He quickly scooped up his books and the poem but the note slipped out of his grasp and fell to the floor. He didn't notice as he walked out of class with James and Sirius, deep in conversation. So of course, he didn't notice as Severus Snape picked up the note, reading it, his dark eyes glittering with malice.

"Well, well, well, Melody will hear some interesting information when she gets back."

He pocketed the note and swept out of the classroom, forming a plan.

You smiled happily as you watched your youngest brother watching over Ana intently, while playing with Truffles, the family toy. Truffles was an enchanted teddy bear with simple feelings that had been passed down to all the kids in your home. You still played with Truffles yourself because he was such a cute and cuddly teddy bear and he was fun.

You walked over to Ana. She was laying on her back in a beautiful crib watching anything and everything with her big blue eyes. She was so adorable. She grasped your finger with her little hand and your heart seemed to melt. You started to tickle her tummy and she let out a kind of gurgling sound. You knew she might not have enough lung power yet to laugh. You turned your attention to your brother again to see that he was dancing around in circles with Truffles, You laughed. You looked back at your niece and saw that she was blowing bubbles, unintentionally of course.

"Grrr! Grrr! Growl! Truffles is gonna get you!" You laughed as Daniel was rolling and wrestling around with Truffles.

"Daniel, why don't you let Ana play with Truffles?"

He got up and looked at you, holding Truffles. "Okay sissy." He walked over to Ana's crib and placed Truffles down beside her. Her big eyes turned to the enchanted teddy bear. "Truffles says Grr! Oh yes he does! Grr...grrr...grrrr ...going to get you and cuddle you! Peek-a-boo!" The bear spoke in a happy voice and Ana smiled a big toothless grin, trying to giggle.

"There you are." You turned and saw Michael standing in the doorway. He walked over to Ana's crib, smiling down at her. He ran his hand over her red-gold curls and laughing as Truffles played with her. "She is beautiful isn't she? Just like Nessa." There was a fondness and warmth in his voice you could not mistake. The love your brother felt for his wife was shining through and you could tell. That was the kind of love you wanted. Someone who cared so deeply for you that they would go to the ends of the earth for your happiness alone. The kind of love that lasted forever, the kind that your parents had and Michael and Vanessa.

"Yes, she is. I can't believe I'm an aunt. Thanks for making me feel old, bro." you teased. He laughed a full, rich, laugh that reminded you of Sirius. You had only been gone since yesterday afternoon but it felt as though you'd been gone a week. Also, since you knew that your friends were in class, there was no telling what you were missing, and you didn't just mean lessons. What you meant was, so many things happened at Hogwarts, it was hard to keep up. For all you knew, Sirius and Hestia could've already gotten together and it wouldn't have been your own doing. You took Daniel's hand and led him out of the room so Michael could have some time with his new daughter. You smiled down at your youngest brother.

"How 'bout we go outside? Maybe I can talk Seth into going riding and you can ride with me." You were, of course, referring to riding your horse around the grounds. You and Seth loved to race each other around the lake, although you couldn't race with your little brother on there with you. It would just have to be a slow ride around the lake and maybe out into the woods past it.

"Hey Seth!"

After Ancient Runes, Remus walked with the Marauders to Defense against the Dark Arts. This whole problem with Melody had been clouding his mind all morning. James was goading him every chance he got and so was Sirius because James had told him what had happened that morning in Ancient Runes. During lunch, it was as if Melody's face kept popping up while he was eating. Even in Arithmancy, he couldn't concentrate on his calculations because of his troubled thoughts and because James and Sirius saw fit to taunt him when Professor March's back was turned. She was tormenting him and she wasn't even at Hogwarts! In classes, they had been practicing nonverbal spells again but Remus just couldn't concentrate as he and the gang practiced before dinner.

"Something wrong Remus?" He looked up and saw Alice studying him.

"Nothing at all Alice."

"You look like something has been bothering you all day. You haven't really been concentrating in classes today."

"How do you know?"

She grinned. "Hey, I can be observant every once in while."

"I'm just having an off day I guess. I have a lot on my mind today."

"If you say so." But Alice knew it was something more than that. As Remus went back to his work or to thinking, Alice leaned over and whispered her suspicions to Rae. Rae pondered over them as she worked on her spells. Alice said that she thought that Remus might be coming around, he might be starting to like Melody as much as she did him. The more Rae pondered over it, the more likely it became. It wasn't exceedingly obvious because Remus held a little mystery to him but she couldn't wait to tell what she thought to Lily and Hestia a little later.

Remus knew that the time to go with Dumbledore was drawing near and he'd be seeing Melody soon. He needed to calm himself and think rationally and maturely, like he was used to doing. Now if only he could think straight when she was standing right in front of him.

_You were in a beautiful, gothic cathedral surrounded by well dressed, happy people. You stopped in your tracks because you happened to catch sight of yourself in a mirror. You weren't the same age you are now, you looked a few years older. You were wearing a spaghetti strap baby blue dress that stopped at the knee on your right leg but then the cut slanted downward so that it reached the middle of your calf on your left leg and matching high-heeled sandals. Your long hair had been straightened and the ends near your temples pulled away from your face, behind your head. The only jewelry you were wearing a simple, single diamond on a skinny silver chain. Your make-up was simple and your face was glowing from the warmth of the room you were in. Suddenly you felt arms slide around your waist and you turned to face none other than Remus. _

"_Hello love. Have I told you today how beautiful you look?" _

_You felt yourself answering but not of your own accord. "No, but thanks for the compliment. It wasn't really my day to look drop dead gorgeous though. Today is Lily and James's, well, mostly Lily's." _

"_While it's true that Lily looked beautiful, no one could ever compare to you." _

"_Well, aren't you just the charmer today? I knew all those years of poetry had to still be inside of you. You don't look so bad yourself." _

_It was true. Actually, Remus looked rather dashing in his tuxedo. He like you looked a bit warm in this room filled with people but he looked happy. You reached your hand up, stroking his cheek softly then sliding it through his soft, slightly graying hair. You leaned in and placed your lips on his. You felt his grip on you tighten and he pulled you against him, wanting you to be as close as possible. The kiss grew intensely passionate and although, you knew that you shouldn't be doing this here of all places, you couldn't stop yourself. _

"_Okay you two, break it up." _

_You broke apart from Remus to see Sirius grinning at you, his arm around Hestia's slim waist. _

"_And you guys call me bad. At least I'm not playing tonsil hockey at my best mate's wedding reception." _

"_I think all those times we caught you at school makes up for that, Siri." _

"_Anyways, you guys have gotta come for the toasts, at least you do Mel because you were Lily's matron of honor and I was the best man. I think Lily and James wanna get through this reception quickly because they do seem anxious to be together." He smirked. _

"_Well, naturally." you grinned. "Alright Siri, let's go give them a proper send off." _

_Remus slid his arm around your waist and you stole a quick glance at the mirror. As your eyes met that of your reflections', _you jolted awake.

After you had gone riding, you had come back inside and gone up to your room. You guessed while you had been daydreaming about Remus, you had fallen asleep. As you sat up, you thought about your dream. Only, it didn't seem like a dream; it was more like a vision. Why on earth would you be getting visions of the future, if that was your future at all? As far as you knew, you had no psychic abilities and nor did anyone in your family, past or present. Maybe it was just a one time thing. You really weren't sure. You sat there, going back over the dream or vision or whatever it was. You had been only a few years older than you were now and you had been together with Remus. You grinned at that. Obviously you got what you wanted in the future, or was it all just some crazy invention of your imagination? The realization that it might be a dream made you frown. You sat there deep in thought. Lily and James had been getting married, well, were married and Sirius and Hestia had been together. If it was vision, then your matchmaking skills were absolutely superb and if it was dream, you'd have to make it a reality. But how? Your matchmaking, however superb, could only go so far. The rest was up to them, or fate. You believed fate had a bigger hand. You glanced at the clock. It was getting late and you had to go back to school soon. You got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and change clothes.

Remus's stomach felt like it had butterflies in it because they had been called to Dumbledore's office. Everyone else was happy and excited that they were going to see Melody but Remus was starting to dread it. He was trying to think of some way not to go when Dumbledore spoke.

"It's time for us to depart. Is everyone here who is going?"

Remus looked around. James, Sirius and Peter looked anxious to leave, Lily, Rae, Alice, and Hestia were talking quietly, even Frank and Kingsley were there. Melody would probably be surprised to see that so many people had come to get her but she would be happy nevertheless. Remus's stomach felt like it was tied up in knots and his palms were sweaty. He didn't know what to do but he was starting to feel like he couldn't go through with it. He was about to open his mouth to back out but Sirius elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh no you don't," he hissed, "You're going. You're going to see Melody and you're going to make things right or me and James will tell her the truth."

"Damn you Sirius." Remus replied, rubbing his rib cage. Sirius just grinned.

"Everyone ready?" Dumbledore was holding a glass bottle and Remus knew he had created a Portkey.

"Touch the bottle everyone." Sirius grabbed Remus's hand and held it up to the bottle. He was going to make sure that Remus was not going to escape. Remus glared at Sirius. **3...2...1...**

Remus felt the familiar pull behind his navel and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the same wooded clearing that you and your father had apparated into the day before, except, there was no carriage waiting for them.

"Now what?" Sirius spoke up.

"Patience Mr. Black, I know what to do." Dumbledore quickly pulled out his wand and whispered something, then something silvery shot out of his wand and disappeared into the trees. Remus was a little curious as to what it was but he didn't ask. Remus closed his eyes, just listening to the sounds around him as he stood there, waiting for whatever it was that Dumbledore was waiting for. As he listened deeply he thought he heard a flute playing softly.

At that very moment, You were playing your flute softly trying to coax Ana off to sleep. The funny part was you were putting Truffles to sleep but not Ana. Ana was restless. She was definitely your brother's little girl. Your brother was always restless, moving about constantly and many nights, you had woken up, finding him with a case of insomnia. You picked her up, softly rocking her and making soothing sounds so she would calm down, still no luck. You sighed. She was stubborn. Then you had an idea.

You continued to rock her as you opened your mouth and began to sing softly.

"_A dream is a wish your heart makes _

_when you're fast asleep,_

_In dreams, you will lose your heartache, _

_whatever you wish for, you keep_

_Have faith in your dreams and someday, _

_your rainbow will come smiling through,_

_no matter how your heart is grieving, _

_if you keep on believing, _

_the dreams that you wish, _

_will come true..."_

Ana's big eyes began to get heavy...

Almost a half hour had passed since Dumbledore had shot off the silvery thing from his wand. James and Sirius were beginning to grow very restless. Suddenly the sound of horse's hooves and wheels became louder and louder and a carriage rolled into view.

"All aboard." Dumbledore said smiling, the familiar twinkle in his eyes prominent even in the increasing darkness. They all climbed into the carriage and Remus knew it had been expanded on the inside, as if they knew that a big group was coming. Remus figured that Dumbledore had told them that a big group was coming. Remus looked out of the carriage window and for a while could only see woods stretching on forever then suddenly he saw sloping grounds, a lake, a big stable house, and then a huge castle-like house came into view. The knots in Remus's stomach seemed to get tighter and tighter.

James elbowed him in the arm and whispered grinning, "See what you'll be marrying into? You'll never wear shabby clothes again mate!"

Remus responded by smacking him around his head and rolling his eyes.

As the carriage stopped and everyone climbed out, they were met by several house elves, who James and Sirius greeted enthusiastically. Remus was not paying attention to all this however. He knew that the moment of truth had finally come.

They were escorted by the house elves through a huge hall and into a parlor of sorts. Remus was not prepared for what he saw though. Melody's whole family was there except her, and because he didn't see a crib, the baby either.

"Albus! It's such a pleasure to see you again." A tall, very muscles man with the same colored hair as Melody and dark sapphire eyes strode forward, wringing Dumbledore's hand. Remus assumed that must be her father. As they began to talk, Remus looked around looking at her family. A beautiful woman that looked like an older version of Melody but with lighter hair strode forward and stood by her father's side.

_Her mother, _Remus thought. Now he knew where Melody got her beauty from.

Three beautiful young women were sitting together on a couch. Remus knew these must be her three older sisters, Jenna, Evelyn, and Katherine. James and Sirius were conversing with a slightly older boy Remus guessed must be Seth, the sibling closest to Melody in age. Remus also noticed a little boy running around with extremely messy, James-like, dark brown hair and big light blue eyes.

_This must be Daniel. _Remus thought smiling.

Remus then noticed that the girls, Frank, and Kingsley were talking to Seth and James and Sirius were now talking to a young man with roguish good looks like Sirius's. His curly dark brown almost black hair was down to his shoulders and he had dark blue eyes. His arm was around a lovely young woman with red-gold hair and beautiful, golden-flecked, green eyes. She looked almost like the spitting image of Lily. Remus figured that this was Michael and Vanessa, the new parents. Remus walked over. James noticed him coming over and introduced him.

"Michael, Nessa, this is our good buddy and fellow marauder, Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Melody's oldest brother, Michael and his wife, Vanessa."

Michael smiled a secretive sort of smile but stuck out his hand. "Great to meet ya Remus."

"Likewise." Remus smiled back.

"If you don't mind my asking, where's Melody and your baby?"

"My little sister is upstairs, trying to get my little daughter to sleep. I told her that if she had any trouble to come find me but obviously she wants to do it herself." Michael chuckled. "She's so determined."

James and Sirius once again engaged the young couple in conversation and Remus slipped away, determined to find Melody. He thought he heard soft singing coming from up the stairs so he followed it. The closer he got, the louder it became. Finally he figured out what room it was coming from and he gently pushed the door open a little more.

"_No matter how your heart is grieving, _

_if you keep on believing, _

_the dreams that you wish, _

_will come true..."_

There she was. She was singing softly to a little baby girl with a few red-gold curls on her head, who seemed to be sleeping now. A sweet, affectionate smile came over Melody's face as she placed the baby in her crib and covered her up. Remus gathered up his courage and decided it was time to be brave. He pushed open the door and walked in.

"I thought you said you were gonna tell me the next time you sang." he said softly. She looked stunned to see him.

You _were _stunned to see him. You had no idea what the plan was for getting you back to school tonight but obviously the gang had come for you or maybe...your heart leapt in your chest, maybe Remus came by himself.

"Remus..." you whispered, still not really believing he was standing there in front of you but you were happy to see him. The memory of how he had angered you flew out of your mind as you stepped forward and hugged him. You buried your face in his shoulder and breathed in deeply. The familiar scent of chocolate came to your nostrils and you wished you could just stay like that. You felt his arms circle around his waist and your skin tingled even through your clothes. He held you like that for a few moments but then it ended all too soon. You stood in front of him, not sure of what to say but he spoke first.

"Melody, I'm really sorry about what happened before you left. Anna means nothing to me and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings that night. I hope we can go back to being as close as before you left."

You smiled. "Of course Remus. I'm sorry too, I was being stupid."

"You could never be stupid, ever." You fought the blush that was threatening to spread over your face.

"So that's your new little niece."

You looked lovingly at her small, sleeping frame. "Yes, her name is Anastasia Jade (Lastname). Isn't she beautiful?"

"She is, just like her aunt."

_Is Remus trying to make me swoon? Cause it's working. _You thought, practically warming at the core.

Then you remembered what he had said as he came in. "I'm sorry Remus, I'll sing for you some other time but it was the only thing that would put Ana to sleep."

"Don't worry about it, I was only teasing. You'll be a natural born mother someday."

"Thank you."

Just then the rest of the your friends appeared in the doorway and started to rush towards you, but you shushed them and pointed towards the crib. They understood and were quieter. Every single one fo them hugged you and told you that they were glad you were safe. Lily explained to the situation that they had gone through and you told them how your father had surprised you and you had no time to tell them what was going on. You apologized for putting them through all that but they waved it off and they all took turns looking at the baby and saying how beautiful she was, about she had Vanessa's hair and Michael's eyes, etc. The usual things. Professor Dumbledore appeared stunning you and told you that they would be leaving shortly. You nodded and he also walked up to look at Ana. You beckoned to Remus and the two of you left so the others could admire Ana.

You walked out to the grounds and out to the cherry blossom tree. You admired it. You were seriously confused at why it was still in bloom because it was almost wintertime. Maybe your parents had cast some sort of spell on it or it had magic of it's own deep down. You really didn't know. You saw a lot of pink petals littering the grounds where they had fallen off the tree but it was still beautiful. You touched the delicate blooms, marveling at their texture and beauty.

"Why are we out here?" Remus spoke up.

"I wanted to show you this tree. I have no idea why it's still in bloom when it's so cold out here but it's still beautiful."

"Indeed it is."

Just then a cold, Northern breeze blew making pink petals snow down on you and Remus. You held out your arms for a moment, marveling at the beauty of this moment but then you grew cold so you wrapped your arms around yourself. You looked up at Remus. He had petals in his hair and on his shoulders. He stepped up to you and held you against his chest, instantly warming you. You wanted to stay like this for all eternity but sadly you knew it could never be.

"We'd better go. I need to grab some stuff and we have to back in time for detention." You grinned.

He nodded and took your hand in his own. Your heart leapt.

You felt tears rising in your eyes as you said goodbye to everyone. You knew Hogwarts was your home too but you really missed your family and with the news of all these attacks you were worried. You walked with your head down to the carriage. You felt an arm slide around your shoulders and you looked up to see Sirius smiling reassuringly at you. A hand grabbed yours on your other side and you turned your head to see James.

"They'll be fine." he whispered.

"I hope so." you replied.

Soon, you were walking up the familiar grounds of Hogwarts to the castle. You walked with the gang up to Gryffindor Tower and put your stuff back in the dorm, then you headed off with the guys because you realized it was time for your detention. This time you and the guys had the mop the Great Hall and once again you had an idea. You transfigured the rages and mops into square brushes and attached them to your feet. You knew what you were wearing, a plum, V-neck ruffled sweater with a black pleated skirt and black suede boots, was not exactly appropriate for this but you didn't care. You dunked the brushes into the buckets of soapy water and started sliding around like you were figure skating.

"Go idea sis!" Sirius cried laughing as he slid past you. You knew as well as they did that you weren't supposed to be having fun but you didn't care. You needed something to take your mind off of your family. You slid over to Remus and he grabbed your hands. Then both of you began to spin, laughing. After you were done, or as done as it was gonna get, you all headed off to Gryffindor Tower for a little while before your Astronomy lesson.

That night in Astronomy, you were supposed to find and plot as many known constellations as you could and whoever found the most would get house points. You had Astronomy with the Ravenclaws and you were determined to help your house win. When class was over, you heard that a girl in Ravenclaw found eighteen constellations so she got three points for Ravenclaw. Lily came in second and she found twenty-two constellations, gaining Gryffindor five points. And in first, it was a tie between you and Remus and you guys both got ten points for Gryffindor. Gryffindor had gained twenty five points that night! Life was good. You headed back to Gryffindor Tower that night with gang, happy but extremely tired and ready for some sleep. So much had happened but you wouldn't change it at all.


End file.
